Round River Resource Management

Holistic Custom Grazing

The Ranch

Start your career in Regenerative Ranching on the vast shortgrass prairie of eastern Colorado. Round River Resource Management has openings for 8-month intern/apprenticeships at the 50,000- acre Brett Gray Ranch in Rush, CO. Round River is a land and livestock management company, dedicated to restoring and regenerating ranchlands, providing professional livestock management services to livestock owners, and to provide a pathway into agriculture through our intern/apprenticeship/journeyman program. Round River currently manages and oversees the over 76,000 acres and 3500 stockers and 1200 cow/calf pairs annually on the Brett Gray and Lyme BX Ranches.

Since its creation in 2008 it has been Round River’s mission to provide opportunities to develop an appreciation for conservation and to teach the land and livestock management skills associated with regenerative ranching. Round River has developed an intensive intern/apprenticeship/journeyman program on the Brett Gray Ranch to develop the skills and knowledge deemed essential to sustainable ranching. Through the program we aim to address the increasing average age of farmers and ranchers, the steady increase in world population, Global Warming, and the continuous degradation of our natural resources. The average farmer/rancher in the USA is over 58 years old and with less than 0.5% of the US population involved in agriculture it is urgent and critically important that we provide a new generation of young, innovative professionals with the skills and knowledge necessary to successfully operate an economically profitable and ecologically regenerative agricultural businesses. To support regenerative agriculture there must be opportunities for a new generation of producers to learn and grow, much like Aldo Leopold’s Round River and its continuous flow of life. With high startup cost and the limited opportunities to learn these skills, our apprenticeship program is designed to introduce and teach the skills necessary to create and operate a regenerative and profitable ranching business.

Regenerative Practices

Round River Resource Management’s conservation ethic and regenerative management practices are founded on the writings of Aldo Leopold and the teachings of Allan Savory and Stan Parson. By utilizing livestock and prescribed grazing management, Round River uses the tools of animal impact, stock density, grazing duration, and recovery time to improve our natural resources in a way that increases the biodiversity of our plant and animal species, improves the mineral cycle, water cycle and captures more solar energy addressing the four eco-system processes.

To further improve and address the four fundamental ecosystem processes and regenerate the natural resources Round River utilizes:

Ultra-High Density grazing in sensitive riparian areas to protect and improve the riparian ecosystem.
Reintroduced beaver to the ecosystem to improve the water cycle and reduce potential erosion concerns.
Calving in synch with nature (May-June calving)
Managing for a predator-friendly environment
Monitoring and documenting improvements to landscape and production
Valuing and continuously seeking educational opportunities to learn new regenerative practices that will enhance the ecosystem processes.

The Mentor

Louis Martin

Louis currently serves as the CEO and general manager for Round River and oversees management of the Brett Gray and Lyme BX Ranches, working in collaboration with the Colorado State Board of Land Commissioners (SLB), The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and others to achieve the desired goals of all stakeholders. He has been involved in the livestock and ranching business for over forty years, and has served sixteen years as general manager for the Texas A&M University Beef Cattle Center in College Station, Texas, where he oversaw all cattle operations and facilitated the teaching, research and extension activities at the Center. In addition, he has been involved in Holistic ManagementTM for over thirty-five years, consulted for numerous ranches and managed large ranches in Texas, northeastern Utah and Colorado before coming to the Brett Gray Ranch. Louis received a BS and Master’s degree in Animal Science and Ranch Management at Texas A&M University, has trained with several certified HRM instructors and is an alumni of Ranching for Profit and currently continues his education as an Executive Link board member and participates in numerous education opportunities annually.

The Apprentice

What will an apprentice do?

This apprenticeship is well suited to an apprentice who is a proactive and quick learner, able to move smoothly and quickly from learning a new skill to being independent with completing a chore or task. The apprentice will work with Louis and other employees/apprentices to refine skills and perform a variety of ranch and land improvement tasks including daily livestock care (health monitoring, supplementation and pasture movements), building and maintaining ranch infrastructure and equipment (fences, water pipelines, buildings and vehicles), land and range monitoring and low-stress stockmanship.

What skills and traits are required in an apprentice?

Applicants should have a love of the ranching lifestyle, knowledge in production agriculture, an interest in land stewardship and the ability to thrive under strict time constraints when needed. This apprenticeship is well suited to a quick learner comfortable asking for additional training and mentor time when needed.

Skills that An Apprentice would expect to acquire:

Successful candidates will learn about and participate in all aspects of ranch operations and will develop an appreciation for conservation and regenerative ranch management practices. Hands on learning opportunities will begin with, but are not limited to:

Low stress stockmanship and health management
Grazing planning and management
Beef Quality Assurance
Ecological restoration and rangeland monitoring
Holistic Management
High-tensile electric and barbed-wire fencing systems
Water delivery systems
General maintenance of vehicles, equipment, and facilities
Company policy development

Nuts & Bolts

Start Date: Ideal start date is March 1, 2024

Length of Apprenticeship: 8 months. Proficient apprentices may be offered to continue work.

Stipend: Round River provides a $1,200/month stipend to apprentices and an additional $150.00/month grocery stipend. The salary stipend is paid bi-weekly and direct-deposited to your bank. The grocery stipend is direct-deposited as a reimbursement at the end of each month. The salary may or may not cover monthly expenses for the apprentice based on his/her needs and lifestyle. The position does not allow time for a second job, so the apprentice should consider their budgetary needs before applying.

Equipment Care Bonus: In addition to the Stipend and Grocery reimbursement, a $150/month equipment care bonus accrues monthly and is paid at the end of the apprenticeship providing the apprentice has completed the terms of employment and exhibits responsible care of tools, equipment and housing.

General work hours: Workdays generally start about 7:30 AM beginning with a brief staff meeting to update staff, plan the day’s activities and to address concerns and challenges. Livestock are of prime concern and are generally checked following the meeting and moved according to grazing plan. After livestock are checked other projects and activities are addressed and completed as planned and time permits. The days are varied as it goes with ranching, and the priority is always the animals. We aim to wrap up the day around 5:00 PM each day, but may sometimes go later as needed.

Housing: Round River provides a furnished house with living room and functional kitchen located on the Brett Gray Ranch. All utilities including water, gas, electricity, landline & internet are provided. Housing may be shared with 1-2 other apprentices. It is expected that the house and personal spaces will be kept clean and organized and efforts made to conserve energy and minimize waste. Pets, spouses, significant others, and/or children cannot be accommodated on the ranch.

Laundry: Washer and dryers are in all housing.

Internet availability: Internet service in the housing is provided by Round River.

Cell Service: Cell service coverage is fairly good over most of the ranch operations. AT&T or Viaero provide the best coverage, Verizon does not work well in this area.

Time off: The apprentice will receive every other weekend (Saturday/Sunday) off and will be required to be on duty to check livestock and be available to handle emergencies on their weekends on duty. 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. Apprentices are allowed 3 personal days off during the apprenticeship upon request to their supervisor.

Visitors: Guests are allowed and encouraged on the ranch. Employees are welcome to have family and friends visit, stay overnight, and experience the ranch. Employees are not required to notify management of guests, but a heads up is appreciated. All guests are subject to ranch regulations while on the property.

Food: Apprentices are responsible for their own food budget. Round River will provide a $150/month grocery stipend, ranch-raised beef and fresh eggs.

Pets: No pets are allowed at this site during the apprenticeship.

All the fun stuff: No smoking or drugs on/in ranch, range, vehicles, housing – the ranch is a completely non-smoking, no-drug environment. Having a beer/glass of wine or two after work is just fine.

Guns: The company respects the right of employees to carry concealed weapons, as long as the firearm is kept on the person or in a concealed location. Open carry is not permitted. Employees are allowed to keep firearms in their home or personal vehicles on the ranch. Safety and responsible gun handling must be practiced at all times.

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 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: Some of the ranch vehicles have standard transmissions. Apprentices will need to know how to drive stick-shift. Previous experience with backing up trailers is not required but extremely helpful. Should the need arise for an apprentice to use a ranch vehicle for personal needs, this can be discussed in advance with the mentors.

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: Bedding, dishes and cookware are provided. All other personal items an apprentice should bring.

Living at The Brett Gray Ranch: The Brett Gray Ranch is located 60 miles from Colorado Springs, Colorado to the east and 50 miles to the south of Limon, Colorado. This is approximately a one-hour drive, two hours round-trip. The climate is arid, with summer highs of ninety degrees and cool nights. It is a vast and open landscape that is sparsely populated with an economy focused on agriculture. The ranch itself has a small creek that runs the length of it, several reservoirs, and many cottonwood trees. There is abundant wildlife and beautiful vistas of Pike’s Peak.

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 provided in partnership with Holistic Management International, and attend the annual Quivira Conference, hosted with Holistic Management International and the American Grassfed Association, in November. Apprentices are also required to write several reports during their apprenticeship; these reports will go through the NAP Coordinator at Quivira, and be posted on the Quivira website.