JF Ranch
Well-known member
I'll add my two bits here.
In 1998 my long-time employee moved on to greener pastures and I was without help only weeks before haying season. Our local cattle association keeps lists of people looking for work and vice-versa. In the course of checking out some of them, I found a young girl with a fresh degree in Animal Science. I couldn't have cared less about the degree, but she impressed me with her work ethic. I hired her for the summer with the option to continue on past that if everything worked out.
This girl wasn't much bigger than you, MissHolly and she was replacing a guy 6' 2" with big hands. She wasn't able to physically do the same work, but this girl proved to be one of the best workers I've ever had. She had never been outside the city limits before and her college degree didn't help her much with driving a tractor, operating a baler, fixing fence, riding horseback or feeding cattle, so she had to learn everything from scratch. She was very tough mentally and she gave me 100% in everything she did. We learned how to "work around" her physical limitations and lack of brute strength. No matter how miserable a day might become or how late it was when we finished, she never failed to ask me before she went home, "Is there anything else you'd like me to do?" I liked that!
Her biggest challenge was in "thinking outside the city limits". She had trouble finding her way around in big country without street signs or a road map. But she tried hard and did a lot of work for me. Before the first year was up, it was her decision to go back home and try to get into Vet school. I too realized that it wasn't meant to be a long term position.
What I'm telling you is this: Give it a try if you really want to. You don't need a fancy college degree, but you must be willing to work hard, learn fast and be willing to give extra effort in all jobs. Never be afraid to ask a dumb question and be certain that you understand what you have been asked to do. Your attiude will determine your success.
Now, how do you go about it? There have been many good suggestions here and most any of them could work for you. My suggestion is that you attend an Ag school to learn the basics first. There may be many schools like this, but I have corresponded with one in Joliet, IL that has a degree in "Agriculture Production and Management". After 3 1/2 semesters of classroom instruction, they help place their students as "student-trainees" with farms or ranches that suit their needs and interests. I could give you information on how to contact them if you'd like. Heck, you could probably "Google" all the available schools and choose one that suits you.
At your age, any dream can become a reality if you want it bad enough. There is no shame in giving it a try even if you find that it isn't what you really want later on.
GOOD LUCK!!!
In 1998 my long-time employee moved on to greener pastures and I was without help only weeks before haying season. Our local cattle association keeps lists of people looking for work and vice-versa. In the course of checking out some of them, I found a young girl with a fresh degree in Animal Science. I couldn't have cared less about the degree, but she impressed me with her work ethic. I hired her for the summer with the option to continue on past that if everything worked out.
This girl wasn't much bigger than you, MissHolly and she was replacing a guy 6' 2" with big hands. She wasn't able to physically do the same work, but this girl proved to be one of the best workers I've ever had. She had never been outside the city limits before and her college degree didn't help her much with driving a tractor, operating a baler, fixing fence, riding horseback or feeding cattle, so she had to learn everything from scratch. She was very tough mentally and she gave me 100% in everything she did. We learned how to "work around" her physical limitations and lack of brute strength. No matter how miserable a day might become or how late it was when we finished, she never failed to ask me before she went home, "Is there anything else you'd like me to do?" I liked that!
Her biggest challenge was in "thinking outside the city limits". She had trouble finding her way around in big country without street signs or a road map. But she tried hard and did a lot of work for me. Before the first year was up, it was her decision to go back home and try to get into Vet school. I too realized that it wasn't meant to be a long term position.
What I'm telling you is this: Give it a try if you really want to. You don't need a fancy college degree, but you must be willing to work hard, learn fast and be willing to give extra effort in all jobs. Never be afraid to ask a dumb question and be certain that you understand what you have been asked to do. Your attiude will determine your success.
Now, how do you go about it? There have been many good suggestions here and most any of them could work for you. My suggestion is that you attend an Ag school to learn the basics first. There may be many schools like this, but I have corresponded with one in Joliet, IL that has a degree in "Agriculture Production and Management". After 3 1/2 semesters of classroom instruction, they help place their students as "student-trainees" with farms or ranches that suit their needs and interests. I could give you information on how to contact them if you'd like. Heck, you could probably "Google" all the available schools and choose one that suits you.
At your age, any dream can become a reality if you want it bad enough. There is no shame in giving it a try even if you find that it isn't what you really want later on.
GOOD LUCK!!!
Ahh, learning from experience, the only way to make a two hour job take 8.
