Farm406

He ended up geing his degree in animal science. Aer college, he knew he wanted to be out west, working in the ranching community and with cale. He came across the Quivira apprenticeship program aer a Google search and applied to a couple of ranches in Montana. Almost immediately aer meeting Tyler, Roger and Betsy Indreland offered him the position. "I see the next 5-10 years as a critical learning phase for me, I really want to learn as much as I can," Tyler told me as we talked about his future in agriculture. e other six Montana apprentices come from all across the country, including Oregon, Idaho, Kansas, Florida, and Vermont, and they are on ranches all across Montana, including Lodge Grass, Shepard, Grass Range, Two Dot, Big Sandy, Big Timber, and Roundup. ey've been to soil health clinics put on by Nicole Masters and even had a private Whit Hibbard low-stress livestock handling clinic. ey work hard and are learning what it takes to be good stewards of the land in the West. When I asked them all what the biggest lesson they've learned so far during the first half of their apprenticeship was, it wasn't what I was expecting. I thought they'd all tell me about a "hard" skill that they've learned, possibly driving a tractor, or trouble- shooting a broken solar charger, or pulling a calf. Whit Hibbard explains the concepts of low stress stockmanship to the NAP apprentices before getting into the pen to practice moving cows Cattle rancher Nick Schultz with his apprentice Jeanne Stafford on his ranch near Grass Range, MT. 29 farm406

• Cover