Editor’s Note: as part of our support for Brahman Juniors, Moreno Ranches is privileged to have a few interns around the Ranch this summer. As part of their education, the Interns are “making the rounds” and learning about the low tech and the high tech of superior genetics and Brahman cattle. To that end, we asked them to journalize their experience at the Ranch. Here’s a timely excerpt –
I am half way through my summer internship at Moreno Ranches Inc. and I have had a great time and learned a ton so far. The first week I helped tie all of the sale calves, plus other pens of young calves, that will eventually be shown or sold. This was very tiring since the heat index has been 100 plus on many days with very little rain. Once we tied these calves, the select show cattle were walked and washed, tied to dry, and had their sale catalog pictures taken. The following week I assisted Brian Barnes, the Ranch Manager, with laying electrical pipe. We broke a water line, which of course we had to fix. I helped set up the pen used for the sale videos and I also helped push those calves around the pen to get the best view of them.
The Next Day
On the next day, I watched the process of branding with the famous M-check. My favorite day so far has been the day we completed Brahman embryo transfers and checked for pregnancies on previously bred cows. While we did the transfers I was the gate operator, while we separated which recipient cows would or would not receive embryos. Sometimes I had to work quickly, slamming the gate open and closed, squeezing a few cows back so they didn’t go into the wrong pen. More recently, I have been working in the ranch office learning marketing skills and making posts on Facebook about our upcoming 2016 All American II Sale. On June 29, the Moreno Ranch team packed up the trailers and headed to West Monroe, Louisiana for the All American, where I will be showing my own M-check calves.
