How did you get interested in agriculture? And what are you hoping to gain from your apprenticeship?
May 2025
Road Gap Of Faith.
“Leap of faith” is what most people call it. In my little family and I’s particular case, that phrase just doesn’t quite cover it. You see, in the mountain bike world, there is a kind of jump called a “Road gap”. Road gaps don’t generally take a lot of skill, but they do take tremendous commitment. As the name implies, a road gap is a jump that shoots you over an active road for cars/trucks. If you hesitate on a road gap, the consequences can be serious. So therefore, I am calling this step my family has taken a road gap of faith.
So what did we do, exactly? In short, we moved.
My wife Kara and I both spent the majority of our lives growing up in Meridian, Idaho, a suburb of Boise. We met in high school, and eventually reconnected and were married. We bought a home just a few minutes from where we grew up in Middleton, Idaho and had 2 beautiful daughters there. Our 7 years in Middleton were very comfortable. We had great jobs headed full steam into lifelong careers. Both of our parents lived within 25 minutes from us. Most of our siblings and their kids lived in town as well. We had our favorite restaurants and grocery stores, not to mention a rock solid routine.
Kara and I became interested, and then passionate about our health and what we put into our bodies. (Food, medicine, clothing, home, and toxic exposure of any kind) We learned about what is being called “Regenerative Agriculture”. We loved the idea of working with nature and the seasons to generate food and wellness products, while at the same time healing soil and ecosystems. We volunteered at several small farms and helped producers who applied many of these kinds of practices. Our interest in the moral foundations and lifestyle grew.
December 5, 2024.
9:40 AM.
Kara was on a regenerative ag site, when she saw a tab that said “Jobs”. Curious, she clicked. There were a couple of listings on there, but one in particular caught her eye. A farm and ranch in Northeastern Montana looking for a Farm Assistant. She read the requirements, and sent the link to me. “You have got to read what they’re looking for. It is you to a T.” I loved what the listing was offering, but I definitely didn’t have the experience they were looking for. They were offering free housing, some food from the operation, and a stipend. It was a lot less than we were making at the time, but with the other offered benefits, it actually could work out. Not without some sacrifice of course. “Let’s work on a resume tonight” I sent back.
3:49 PM.
Kara sends me a link to a completed resume. It doesn’t bother me. I really doubted that we would even get a phone call with my lack of required experience. Kara told everyone in her family about the application and they were very supportive and excited. I still brushed it off, and didn’t really think much more of it than “boy, wouldn’t that be cool?”… That is.. until I was notified that one of my references had received a call from the ranch we applied to. That really got my heart racing. The next day, I got the call. “Hey Trevin, this is Jeff Sather. Do you have a moment?” I couldn’t believe I was even worth the time for a phone call. We set up an interview, and he invited me and the family to come take a tour of the place. I was shocked to say the least. My mind immediately started racing with all of the possible logistics. I didn’t hardly sleep for 3 days. Well long story short, the interview went really well, and we booked a flight to Williston, South Dakota (the nearest airport to the ranch) packed up our little family, rented a car, and drove 3 hours to visit. We were impressed. We took the job.
Final Reflections
November 2025
My entire life I’ve struggled to feel a sense of purpose in paid work. I’ve struggled to connect with the tasks I performed. I hated desk jobs, but I also didn’t care for busy work. I always preferred to play. I liked to be outside and I was no stranger to hard physical labor, but I struggled to find joy and fulfillment in the work that brought home a paycheck. Before I found this program, I assumed that was just my lot in life—to grudgingly trade hours of my life for a paycheck in order to provide for my family. I never expected to connect with my work, let alone for it to become one of the greatest joys of my life.
I still remember when I first allowed myself to consider the possibility of a career in agriculture. The idea was tantalizing, but it also felt selfish. Could I really leave behind my steady job, future career, community support network and the hometown my wife and I had always known to pursue a career just because it sounded more exciting? The truth is, this program changed everything for me. Though my experience was different than I expected and I certainly came into it with some unrealistic and “romantic” expectations about what farming and ranching would be like, I can say that I no longer believe I’m destined to forever dislike my career. In fact, I have scarcely felt so fulfilled, so excited about my work, and so alive with the possibilities for my future.
I came into this program with basically zero agriculture experience, despite my family history having deep agricultural roots. I actually have considered this an advantage because I have nothing to “un-learn”. Before setting foot on my mentor’s site I had never even been on the same side of the fence as a cow. I had never been up close to modern farm equipment either.
In the beginning, every day brought new challenges, new learning experiences, and exciting new questions. I was eager and bursting with positivity and curiosity. Slowly that unquenchable excitement settled into a more sustainable sense of purpose and determination. An understanding that this life actually is not selfish. It’s a life of new burdens, new responsibilities, and new expectations. Never before had so much depended upon me and my willingness and ability to follow through. My life settled into a rhythm of labor and thankless service. I endured long days, hot sun, freezing winds, and aching bones in order to ensure the well-being of the animals that depended upon me, the family that waited for me to come home, and the team members that counted on me to follow through.
A job has never required so much of me. But somehow in giving more than I’ve ever given, I also walked away with more than I’ve ever received from an occupation. I have truly found my calling in working with livestock. I have never so thoroughly enjoyed my daily work. I’ve never felt such a sense of pride, accomplishment and value in my day-to-day life. I’ve also never felt such a mantle of responsibility on my shoulders in a job. To know that hundreds of innocent lives depended upon me and my diligence in showing up and caring for them was an enormous privilege that filled my days with a sense of purpose.
So what have a gained? Everything. I have actually gained a new life. The trajectory of my life will never be the same. I’ve learned where I belong, I’ve learned the lifestyle I want for my family, and I’ve learned how to keep working and keep giving even when I have nothing left to give.
The greatest challenge of my experience here was the interpersonal relationship with my mentor. Despite that hard reality, I developed a sense of unwavering internal confidence that I’ve never experienced before. Even though I wasn’t told I was doing a good job, I knew deep down that I was doing good work. I knew it when I looked into the eyes of the mother cows that trusted me to hold their calves. I knew it when I saw the excited lope of hungry hogs as they approached the feeding trough I filled. I knew it when I carried full-grown and heavy turkeys by hand into their shelter each night because they can’t always see well enough to make it inside. I knew it when I harvested honey for the very first time after I taught myself how to care for bees. I knew it when time and time I again I figured out how to do things I was never taught to do, simply relying on my own grit and determination. I knew it when I came home to my loving family and was greeted at the door by their excitement. I knew it when my daughter prayed, “And God, thank you for Daddy’s hard work every day.”
That confidence is something I’ve never known or felt. I consider it one of the greatest gifts of this experience. It was a difficult set of circumstances that allowed it to be born, but I wouldn’t change it. For the first time in my life, I didn’t need the approval or appreciation of my boss. I carried with me a well of fulfillment that came from somewhere much deeper—from within me, and through the God I serve. Every day my work pointed me to Him. I saw Him in the beauty of creation, the wisdom of the natural systems I witnessed, and in the joy and burden of stewardship. What a gift.
When I first arrived at my site I was apprehensive around the large cows and bulls. Their presence made me nervous and I didn’t know their temperaments. Over the course of my experience, I went from apprehensive and timid to full of awe and careful confidence. I have gained a tremendous amount of respect for animals—for their instincts, abilities, and value as a tool to heal and improve land and soil. I also gained a lot of understanding from the Low Stress Stockmanship clinic. That clinic was one of the most enjoyable and impactful parts of the program for me. It was so helpful to learn how my own instincts were incorrect and counterproductive, and how adding respect and curiosity to my interactions with livestock could so profoundly impact the efficiency and ease of moving and working them.
Where will I go from here? I am grateful that I’ve been offered a full-time position as a ranch hand in Southeast Montana at a regenerative ranch. I’ll be helping with a wide range of responsibilities, but primarily, I’ll get to work with livestock. I’m excited to step more squarely into the livestock sphere and leave some of the farming behind. Although it was valuable and enjoyable to learn about farming. I think ranching is my true calling. I’m very excited to witness the impact of intensive grazing firsthand. My new mentors move their cattle 1-4 times per day and take a very hands-on approach to improving their prairie. They’ve seen an explosion of native grasses, plants, wildlife and insects and I am so excited to watch that process and see that growth for myself. If all goes well, my family and I will be able to stay for up to 5 years. From there, I hope to become a ranch manager or start my own ranching operation.
I’m so grateful for the doors that Quivira has opened for my family and me. I will forever look back on this short chapter as a course-correction that opened the door to a whole new life. And it’s sure a life I love. I can’t wait to see what the next steps bring and I’m grateful this program outlined the first steps, guided me through the door, and made it all possible.