Assistant Ranch Manager – Brush Prairie Ranch

Last Updated On: January 22nd, 2024 at 07:30AM MST

Contact information

Farm Address:
34366 County Road 4
Badger, Minnesota, 56714

Primary Contact: Mike
Primary Phone:
    Type: Cell
    Number: 6122500131
    Email: mbwhitt1967@gmail.com

Website:

Internship information

General Farm Description: Brush Prairie Ranch is a 240-acre bison ranch located in northwestern Minnesota owned by a husband and wife that live on the ranch. The closest small town is Roseau and it is a 20 minute drive away. We currently have 6 bison and will build our herd to approximately 50 cow-calf pairs in the next few years. We also run egg-laying and meat chickens and vegetable production in subsistence quantities. The ranch is a Minnesota Water Quality and Wildlife Certified operation that practices regenerative grazing methods. The bison are rotationally grazed through a series of interior paddocks to benefit the bison and the grassland habitat.

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: May 2024
Internship Ends: October 2024 or beyond
Number of Internship Available: 1
Application Deadline: Until suitable applicant is found
Minimum Length of Stay: 12 weeks

Internship Details:

The Assistant Ranch Manager will be the sole paid employee of the ranch operation.  All work will be done in collaboration with, and under the supervision of, the owners.  The work is diverse and includes all aspects of running a ranch operation.  We are looking for a person with a keen interest in ranching and agriculture.  Our selected candidate will work in a safe manner in all tasks.  We prefer a candidate that has experience using farm tractors, track loader skid steers, and implements and attachments that operate on such machines.  We also prefer a candidate that is tool smart and safe and that has experience working with livestock.

Some specific duties will include:

• Maintaining and improving the existing high tensile electric fencing system
• Encouraging bison to rotate through paddocks in a regular, systematic way using carefully-placed interior electric fencing
• Providing water and supplements to the bison as they rotate through interior paddocks
• Observing the bison and learning what their behavior tells you about their health and welfare
• Using power and manual hand tools to accomplish work tasks
• Operating farm tractors and a tracked skid loader and various implements and attachments to accomplish work tasks
• Supervising and assisting hired contractors that may be hired provide services to the ranch operation
• Maintaining equipment by monitoring fluid levels, replacing wear items, greasing fittings, and immediately notifying the owners of any malfunctions
• Assessing pastures and using mechanical, chemical, and prescribed fire to manage such communities
• Preparing new pasture plantings by eliminating existing vegetation, preparing the soil seedbed, and planting prairie seed mixtures
• Planning and building a right-sized bison handling facility for the ranch operation
• Transporting new bison to the ranch operation
• Ability to perform light construction and handy-person projects around the ranch property
• Groundskeeping jobs such as tree watering, weeding, and mowing

Educational Opportunities: Opportunity to learn or increase one's knowledge in many diverse skills related to ranching management

Skills Desired: We prefer a candidate with some experience but the most important is a willingness to learn and to work

Meals: No

Stipend: Yes. We will pay $16 to $18 per hour depending on qualifications

Housing: Yes. We have a fully-furnished apartment that has a kitchen and bathroom

Preferred method of Contact: Email