DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC
15 Ranching program marks first-year milestone
Highlight of year for students was field trip to Gang Ranch
by TOM WALKER
KAMLOOPS – The Applied Sustainable Ranching program at the Williams Lake campus of Thompson Rivers University moved into its second year courses in November, following a very successful first year.
“If you ask the students, I know they will say it is the field trips that have made the year so special,” says program co-ordinator Gillian Watt. “Our final trip to the Gang Ranch was an excellent way to wind up the year.”
Students lived and worked at the Gang Ranch, northwest of Clinton, for three days in September. One of the largest ranches in North America, the Gang Ranch has been in operation since 1860.
The ranch visit was all about animal care and featured a stockmanship clinic by Curt Pate from Montana. Students practiced horsemanship and herding, penning, loading and processing animals in a sustainable, low stress and profitable way.
“We all picked up some tips,” says Watt. “ I started moving cows with my dad when I was a kid but Pate really delves into the brain chemistry of a cow.”
But the highlight for many was living on the ranch and appreciating the full scope of the operation. Managers Larry and Beverly Ramstad extended a warm welcome to the students.
“One of the strengths of the program is that we are able to teach both the business and hands-on practical aspects,” Watt points out. Indeed, many of the instructors are local ranchers with advanced degrees that support their years of experience. “We had just finished a grazing management unit, including building a grazing plan on a spreadsheet,” recalls Watt. “When we went out to Rafter 25 Ranch to learn about fencing, there was a grazing plan on the wall of the barn and they talked about how they are working with mob grazing.
“Grassland Equipment in Williams Lake invited us into their shop and had their techs talked about preventative maintenance – the things that can save ranchers money, otherwise known as getting out the grease gun,” Watt chuckles.
Watt says the program was developed largely in response to local interest for a
continued exchange of ideas. Part of the funding for program development came from the Cariboo Cattlemens’ Association.
A core group of about 12 students are enrolled in the program at any one time. But that varies as students may take each module separately or as a full course load. The courses are not sequential. Intake is available year-round. The program is designed to be completed in two years but some students may take four or five years to finish.
“They may take a couple of courses and then leave to work on their ranch through the summer or pick up courses as they can afford it,” says Watt. “We had one student from Switzerland take an introductory course last spring and she will be back in January to continue,” she notes. “We will have students from Belgium, South Africa and Ghana starting in January.” That’s another of the program features. Students can remain in their home community. The weekly day-
Gillian Watt and Darlene Freding present the Bill Freding Memorial Award to Vicki Granberg, a first year student in the Applied Sustainable Ranching program, November 4. “This award in memory of Bill represents two things that Bill exemplified,” says Watt. “They are his resilience and his innovation. These traits were the foundation of how Bill flourished in the ranching industry.” LIZ TWAN PHOTO
long seminars are all conducted through video conferencing, allowing students to participate online. And the seminars are also taped so they can be reviewed at a later date.
“We have a videographer along to record all our field trips,” Watt adds. “That’s an expensive extra and shows the level of support the Williams Lake campus is giving our
program.”
The one requirement is that the students must be on a working ranch while they are studying, explains Watt. “About half of the students are at their home farms and half are billeted on ranches in the Williams Lake area,” she says. “The ranching
community has stepped up with their support and opened their homes to our students.”
Billeted students exchange their 15 to 20 hours of work experience requirement to support their room and board. Course work takes three to four hours a day.
“We feel there is a real opportunity to encourage and develop the sustainable, low input ranching style that the Cariboo is known for and that serves the consumer in BC,” Watt says.
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