Riley Lucherk learns about livestock forage from Ken Cearley, right.


Steve Nelle volunteers his time to teach about managing natural resources at the Ranch Brigade.


sparked the youth, many of whom were shy by nature, to become diehard quail disciples. Farley knew the educational model


could be used to teach and inspire youth about a subject close to his heart — ranching. “The Brigade educational model is a


well-oiled machine for teaching any sub- ject,” Farley says. “The model’s original purpose was to develop grassroots leaders with the facts about wildlife and let them spread the word to their own generation and their communities.” Administered by the Texas Wildlife


Association and Texas AgriLife Exten- sion Service, the Texas Brigades program has a rich history of 20-plus years that began when noted AgriLife Extension Wildlife Biologist Dale Rollins organized the fi rst Bobwhite Brigade in 1993. Over the next 19 years, 3 other Brigades were successfully launched — Buckskin, Bass and Waterfowl. “Cadets” make up “battalions” and


are hosted at a camp where they spend every waking hour engaged in an inten- sive activity-based learning environment. The popular program has trained


more than 65,000 youth in leadership as well as wildlife and natural resource stewardship. Farley took a crusader’s approach to


From left are Riley Lucherk,


Heath Tuttle and Kevin Przilas, teaching about tagging cattle.


80 The Cattleman December 2014


convincing people to help him start a brigade on ranching. One of the first who stepped up to support the effort was Big Bend rancher and restaurateur Mike Micalef, who was himself a cadet in the


thecattlemanmagazine.com


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