Position Wanted: Seeking Seasonal Cattle Ranch / Guest Ranch / Farming opportunity

Filled / Expired

Dale H.

Email

Email Address Hidden

Phone

Phone Number Hidden

Location

Willing to Relocate

Job Type

Seasonal

Salary

$3,000-$5,000 /month

Date Posted

February 12, 2024

Housing Needed

Yes

Experience

10+ yrs

I have been involved in agriculture my entire life. I am a semi-retired grain and livestock farmer from Iowa, who has had my own operation for over 30 years. Our family has farmed in our home county in Iowa for four generations, with our young grandchildren coming up as the 6th generation. I have been raising cattle since I was 4 years old. In my own farming operation, we farmed about 2,000 acres +/- of corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa, and hay ground utilizing center-pivot irrigation. I backgrounded 3,000-4,000 head of cattle per year, evolving to an open-air hoop structure building with bedding, so the animals stayed clean, warm and protected from the elements. For my beef operation, industry certifications I hold are: Food Safety & Quality Assurance; Packer Quality Assurance; and Beef Quality Assurance. I also took specialized training in Animal Disease Traceability through the USDA.

Our livestock operation also included a farrow to finish swine operation as a producer for Niman Ranch Farms – sustainably raised pork. We followed all the Niman requirements regarding antibiotic free, square footage per animal, and humane treatment of animals.

For our crop operation, I utilized no-till planting for soil conservation, GPS technology for efficiency with soil structure, and grid sampling of the soil to determine exact input nutrients — down to a 10-foot grid size. I have also experimented planting turnips, radishes, rye and wheat as off-season cover crop to improve the tilth of the crop ground.

At the end of 2020, my wife and I turned over the farming operation to the next generation, and are now doing seasonal jobs as our next life adventures. The summer of 2021 we worked at a working cattle/guest ranch on the Colorado-Wyoming border where I was the “jack-of-all trades” (as all good farmers have to be.) I assisted with all the loading, unloading, vaccinating, and branding of the calves. I worked to maintain their ditch irrigation system, helped build and maintain their 30,000 acres of lay-down fence, and performed most of the building repairs and machinery maintenance.

Either on my own farm or at the guest ranch, I have done all of the following jobs you require: feeding livestock; fence monitoring and maintenance; building upkeep and maintenance; mowing and bush hogging of ditches, government acres, fields, weeds, brush; planted many food plots/gardens; livestock health checks & vaccinations; operated my own livestock handling facility; ear tagging and recording data for continuous herd improvement. I have many years’ experience running the following equipment and machinery: tractors; skid loaders; bulldozers; backhoes; brush cutters; planters; and most farm and construction equipment. I have also performed prescribed burns, according to government regulations.

I hope you can see that I am ready, willing and able to take on whatever needs to be done. We are looking for our Summer 2024 adventure out west. My wife works a part time, fully remote job, so can work from anywhere. We are very flexible about beginning and ending dates. Our only real requirements are couples’ housing, strong internet, and good cell service.

Attached is my resume with more details, and a few pictures of us and our farm.