The apprentice will be required to:

• Have a positive attitude
• Survive in a dusty hot environment, fall/winter temperatures in the (20 to 50 degrees) and spring/summer in the (60 to 100 degrees) range.
• Drive a pickup truck or ATV, standard transmission
• Adjust & adapt on the fly
• Live in a rural area
• Work with a team, or individually

Ideally the apprentice will have at least 2 seasons of experience in some of the following: 

• Working with beef cattle, pigs, sheep or other livestock
• Mechanics
• Fencing
• Marketing
• Driving a tractor
• Basic knowledge of home repair/carpentry skills

The apprenticeship at Richards Land and Cattle will run November 1-June 30. Starting in November the ranch  will start receiving the 300 mother cows from Northern California.  The pace in November-December is quick and exciting. Once the animals arrive the apprentice will work alongside the mentors at first, and  will start moving cattle towards the back of the ranch, feeding them and checking them daily.  In early January/February the ranch will receive 100+ finishers (1000 lbs heifers and steers) that will finish on the front of the property on a separate grazing plan than the mother cows.  In April, the entire mother cow herd will be rounded up for vaccinations, fly tags, preg test and sorting for when the grass season hits full force in April. The mother cows will ship to their summer grazing pasture in the first week of May.  The remaining finishers will stay on property through June and will harvest as they are finished.  Cattle moves slow down to 2-5 day moves in June and July when the weather gets hot. At the same time the apprentice will be monitoring the sheep herd who will be lambing in the spring.  The ranch is  applying for a targeted grazing contract through the NRCS which may bring in 100+ ewes from April-July – TBD.  Hogs will be fed daily and moved to pasture weekly in the winter and monthly in the summer.  The hog grazing is used to disturb the soil in heavily wooded areas.  Late summer and early fall when the weather cools down it’s time to take on projects like firewood, winterizing, fixing roads, pipelines and moving hay for the winter.  Although our apprenticeship ends in June, the mentors are looking for someone for a year round position, the option to stay through the summer could be available if our apprentice chooses to and both apprentice and mentors feel it is a good fit.

If accepted, from November 2022 to June of 2023 you will:
*Duties we most hope the apprentice will develop autonomy with are in bold

• Work outside much of the time, often engaged in physical activities
• Become autonomous with checking sheep, hogs and cattle on a regular basis, doctoring, processing sheep and cattle (vaccinating, docking, branding, tagging, etc.)
• Managing ranch infrastructure maintenance, repair, and installations – help with fencing, water troughs and lines, corrals and outbuildings.
• Visual monitoring of pasture condition to determine grazing moves, helping set-up and take down temporary electric fence, moving livestock, hauling water
• Maintain high work quality standards even when working independently
• Assist with care of guard dogs and stock dogs and chickens
• Assist with bookkeeping and/or maintaining ranch records
• Work closely with your mentors daily, adding independent tasks as skills and ability allow.
• Other ranch projects and ranch-related events as appropriate.
• Have one day off a week to attend to personal matters during your apprenticeship.
• Learn a tremendous amount about yourself, your strengths and weaknesses, how a small-scale sustainable agriculture operation works, and if a career in agriculture is really for you.

FAQ

Start and End date:  November 1 – June 30

Length of apprenticeship:  8 months

Expected work hours:  8 Hour days, 5 days a week.  With the occasional 10-12 hour day when working cattle, sheep or pigs.  Saturdays are usually about 4 hours.

Stipend:  monthly stipend begins at $1100 and may raise depending on experience and as an apprentice becomes autonomous.  This is paid once a month, and can be directly deposited to your bank. The position does not allow time for a second job, but there are opportunities for extra money to be earned on the ranch.  We host farm dinners and may have other work available outside of ranch duties where the apprentice can earn extra money. 

Housing:  We have a small home at the headquarters available for 1-2 people.  It has one bedroom and one bathroom, and if need be the family room could be turned into a second bedroom.  The house is partially furnished, has a landline, water, internet, carport, wood stove, covered porch and a window air conditioning unit.  The utilities are all included – though we do ask that you be conscientious of your energy use. We like to keep our housing as tidy as possible and like to emphasize that we expect our apprentice to clean their house once a week and keep the front porch and carport free of personal items.  We host events and like to keep the ranch headquarters as clean as possible.

Communications:  Internet connection: The houses have decent internet connectivity and a wireless connection.  The ranch is spotty with all cell phone service.

Quivira Coalition Activities:  This apprenticeship is offered through Quivira Coalition’s New Agrarian Program, but follows a different schedule from the majority of other apprenticeship opportunities. The apprentice is expected to attend the annual Regenerate Conference, hosted with Holistic Management International and the American Grassfed Association. This year the conference will take place in Denver, Colorado, November 2–4, 2022. The apprentice will have access to supplemental education calls that were conducted and recorded by Quivira earlier in 2021 and 2022. Apprentices are also required to write several short reports during their apprenticeship.  These reports will go through the NAP Coordinator at Quivira and be posted on the Quivira website.

Time off:  The apprentice will have one fixed day off a week. If an apprentice needs additional days for specific activities, he or she should let the mentors know as soon as possible. Be aware that the ranch and the herd dictate workflow over the course of the apprenticeship.

Visitors:  The apprentice may also want to express their enthusiasm for the program by inviting friends and family to visit. We ask that the apprentice use wisdom and judgment to balance the apprenticeship demands with time available for guests. Apprentices will be asked to discuss visitors in advance with mentors. 

Food:  Our apprentice will receive as much beef, lamb, eggs and vegetables from the garden as they please.  We do some lunches together with the whole team during the week and a weekly dinner together, but for the most part apprentices are responsible for their meals.

Pets:  We have 4 dogs living on the ranch.  If the apprentice has a working dog, we ask they bring the dog for the in person interview to see if they are going to be part of the team. We are open to apprentices with a working horse, but would need to have a guideline on care for the horse and discuss how the horse will fit into the program.

Drugs and alcohol:  No smoking or drugs on the ranch. Partying is not allowed; having a beer or a glass of wine after work is just fine.  The apprentice may not bring a personal firearm on the property.  

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. Richards Ranch 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:  Many of the ranch vehicles are standard transmission. The apprentice will be expected to competently operate these vehicles. Apprentices must have a valid driver’s license.

Personal Vehicle:  There are no instances (or very few) when the apprentice would be required to use his/her own vehicle around the ranch. In order to run personal errands and travel on days off, however, the apprentice will need the flexibility of his or her own vehicle.

Laundry:  There is a washer and dryer on the premises.  The apprentice may use it at any time, but be conscious of water use and others belongings.

Are there specific challenges on the operation that the apprentice could help find possible solutions to address?:  We have very little irrigated pasture so our goal is to finish all our beef by July 1.  This can be tough on minimal rain years, and is a constant battle we have with nature. Our apprentice will learn a great deal about ranching in a rangeland type of area with minimal water and a very short growing season.

Items an apprentice should bring:  The apprentice housing comes with all kitchen utensils and bedding but the apprentice may bring any personal items from home.

Living in Oregon House, CA:  The Richards Ranch is located in the rural town of Oregon House, Ca.  There is a grocery store/gas station, two small restaurants and a post office nearby.  It is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes from Sacramento, and 45 minutes from either Marysville/Yuba City,Ca or Grass Valley/Nevada City,Ca.  It is a very quiet area and is surrounded by small ranches and wineries. The climate during the apprenticeship starts off with cool days 40-60s in November-February, then gets quite hot in the summer, May – June in the 80s and 100s.  In the time of the apprenticeship, there will be lots of very heavy rain throughout the winter (hopefully!), so the apprentice should bring reliable rain clothing and boots. The elevation ranges from 500-2500 feet and is mostly covered with Oak trees, grasses and some pine trees in the high elevations.  The northern border of the ranch borders the Yuba River & Lake Englebright.