The Ranch
We are 3rd generation ranchers on Ryan Bruski’s family ranch. We work side by side with Ryan’s dad Joe Bruski. Ryan and Abbey are running the operating business. Joe is the landowner and senior advisor on Ryan and Abbey’s operating business board. Ryan’s mother, Sonja owns a hair salon in town and has been doing hair for 45 years. We are running on roughly 10,000 acres of deeded land and 2,000 acres of lease land. We used to farm around 4500 acres and in 2016 all farm ground was planted back to pasture. We used to run around 300 cow/calf pairs and using regenerative agriculture and intensive grazing bumped that up to around 800 head cow/calf pairs. We sold our cows in the fall of 2023 and started running a stocker enterprise/custom grazing enterprise. The 2024 season our operation was running around 4000 yearlings on the property for 5 months, then our off season is slower and our pastures get long rest periods and we don’t have to feed in the winter or calf during the cold.
Regenerative Practices
We are big advocates for soil health and adaptive intensive grazing. Ryan and Abbey have spoken at many conferences such as the Soil Health Symposium, National Grazing Sheep Association, Ranching for Profit workshop we held in Miles City, Alejandro Carrillo was at the ranch this summer doing a 2 day workshop with us, we are in Gabe Brown’s book Dirt to Soil, Ryan has spoken on multiple podcasts as well. We are very passionate about regenerative ag and spreading the word and teaching. We have learned so much along the way and are still learning and trying to improve every day. We enjoy continuing our education and attend multiple workshops a year to keep learning. We are enjoying working with the WWF RSVP program, the Bird Conservatories of the Rockies, EMRA, Ranching for Profit EL, and our mentors such as Alejandro Carrillo, Gabe Brown, Ray Archuleta, Allen Williams, Fred Provenza and much more. We are moving cattle 2-4 times per day depending on the time of year and the performance of the grass and cattle. We have a very well planned out grazing plan that is monitored and updated daily. We have a drought plan and rainfall trigger dates set and documents signed in place. WWF does lots of soil monitoring and bird observations for us yearly. We joined Jonathan Lundrens 1000 Farm Initiative and are getting awesome information from them on insects to organic matter to birds and much more. Ray Archuleta came to the place in 2015 and did research on our ranch to put it in David Montgomery’s book and that research was so valuable to us as the producers saw the results and the progress we were making.
The Mentors
Ryan & Abbey bruski
Ryan and Abbey Bruski are the mentors for Beaver Creek Cattle Company. Ryan graduated with an associates degree in farm/ranch management and a degree in welding. He has a welding business called Ryan’s Iron Works and builds corral and makes panels at the ranch. He is extremely educated in regenerative ag and has a very long list of mentors that we contact and ask for advice often and look up to. Ryan is a very patient and wonderful teacher as long as the intern works hard and tries their best and asks questions along the way, Ryan is pretty easy to work with.
Abbey graduated from Bismarck State College with an associate in farm/business management. She uses these skills at home and runs the finances of Beaver Creek Cattle Company as well as working alongside Ryan almost every day. She handles more of the HR of Beaver Creek Cattle Company and the intern will hopefully feel comfortable to come to Abbey if there are issues that need addressed.
The Apprentice
What will an apprentice do?
We would have the apprentice join our H2A worker doing the daily chores around the ranch, helping move poly string, checking stock tanks, salt and mineral weekly to the herds, corral sorting and working, fencing (tearing out old barbed wire and putting in new electric fence – border and cross fence), attending workshops and schools with Ryan and Abbey, gardening, equipment maintenances, some shop time making temporary electric fence posts (we do this during the slower cold months), pasture monitoring, updating the grazing plan, some water line projects and more. We have young children that will be around (1 year old, 5 year old and 8 year old) and working with us from time to time. We expect the apprentice to be kind and patient with them and us while we include our children in our ranch business.
What skills and traits are required in an apprentice?
- Some agriculture background or experience
- Patient and respectful.
- Valid driver’s license and clean driving record
- Willingness to live very rural and far from larger cities
- Sharp minded and quick thinking
- Upbeat pace and highly motivated individual
What skills and traits are desired in an apprentice?
- Hard-working
- Ability to listen and learn something new everyday
- Open-minded
- Caring for the land, equipment, livestock and respect for our family business/ranch.
- Some regenerative agriculture knowledge
Skills that An Apprentice would expect to acquire:
- Safe use of equipment on the ranch, including trucks, trailers, atv’s, and tractors.
- The care and feeding of cattle and small animals.
- Fencing basics on hard fences and building temporary electric fences.
- How to assess the pasture for condition and quality and when to move livestock in or out of each pasture.
- How to move and sort and load cows, on foot.
- Pasture monitoring and range health
- Livestock performance
- Doctoring yearlings or at least helping Ryan or Abbey do the doctoring
- Keeping living quarters maintained during entire stay (weekly cleanings)
- Attending continuing education workshops during your time with us
Nuts & Bolts
Start Date: March 2025
Length of Apprenticeship: 8 months
Stipend: $1600/month plus free internet access, unlimited meat and eggs access, some meals with our family, we will pay for continuing education workshops for the apprentice to attend during their stay here.
General work hours: We have weekly Monday morning WITB meetings with the employees/apprentices to go over each week and what the schedule will look like. We do daily check in’s in whatsapp. Busier hours during the summer, early start times to beat the heat. Fall/winter season we slow down and don’t start our days til around 8 am. We are almost always done by 5 pm and sometimes earlier or later depending on the day and what was on the schedule. We require Sundays off for all employees at our operation. When it’s a slower season or hot days, we work ½ days. The hours will be flexible.
Housing: We have a very nice bunkhouse we brought onto the property in 2021. It is from the oil field in North Dakota (man camp). It has two living quarters (apartments) in it. The H2A South African lives on one side of the bunkhouse. The apprentice will have their own living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. The only thing they share is the entryway and laundry room. This housing unit passes inspection every year for the H2A program. Has fire extinguishers and Carbon Monoxide Detectors and Fire Alarms.
Laundry: Laundry is in the bunkhouse but is shared.
Internet and cell service: Starlink internet is provided.
Time off: We are very open to time off. Just need to communicate with Abbey about a schedule and she will approve it with her board.
Visitors: Visitors are allowed. When visitors are coming we will need to be notified in advance.
Food: We have meals provided often if we are all fencing or working cattle, but there will be time and complete choice for the intern to have lunch on his/her own schedule at the bunkhouse.
Pets: No pets permitted.
All the fun stuff: Tobacco use is prohibited. We will have discussions during our application process and address this area and make sure we are all on the same page. No drinking during working hours, but their social life after hours is not for us to control. But they are representing us in our community so there is a level that we have to address that it does concern us.
Health insurance: The ranching lifestyle has inherent dangers. While personal health insurance is not required to participate in the apprenticeship program, it is strongly encouraged. The farm carries Workman’s Compensation to cover injuries incurred on the job. But if the apprentice is injured on his or her day off, gets sick, or has or develops chronic conditions like allergies, these types of issues should be covered by personal health insurance.
Ranch Vehicles: We will provide vehicles for work use. A valid driver’s license and a clean driving record for use of work vehicles is required. Some of the trucks are manual shift so you must know or be willing to learn to drive one.
Personal Vehicle: While apprentices will not be asked to use a personal vehicle for work purposes, the apprentice will need the flexibility of his or her own vehicle on their days off in order to run personal errands such as purchasing groceries and for travel.
Additional items an apprentice should bring: Bring any personal items you need. The bunkhouse is supplied with bedding, blankets, towels, microwave, coffee maker, oven, no dishwasher, fridge. There are some pots, pans, utensils, plates and cups there but if the apprentice needs more they will need to provide that on their own. Example: air fryer, etc. Muck boots are recommended as is head covering/sun protection.
Living at Beaver Creek Cattle Company:
- Our nearest town is 4 miles from the ranch, the town is Ekalaka, Montana. There are around 300 people in the town; a very small community. We have a grocery store, post office, multiple churches, 2 restaurants, a bar, a library, museum, nice school and fitness center at the school that is free to the public. There are young people in the area.Some activities might be at brandings or local rodeos to meet and visit with people. The closest Walmart and larger shopping areas are 110 miles away. Online shopping is very common here. Baker, Montana is 35 miles away and has more food options and other activities to do. Our closest airport is Rapid City, South Dakota which is about 2 ½ hours away. The next airports people use for around our area are Billings, Montana and Bismarck, North Dakota.
Quivira Coalition Activities: This apprenticeship is offered through Quivira Coalition’s New Agrarian Program. The full cohort of apprentices on regenerative ranches and farms across the west will attend an April orientation, participate in supplemental education Zoom calls, complete skills checklists with their mentors, and attend the annual REGENERATE Conference in November. Apprentices are also required to write several reports during their apprenticeship that will be posted in the New Agrarian Voices blog on the Quivira website.