Working Ranch Blog

Whew, where have the last two months gone? I really do wonder sometimes. The job in the feedyard is going great. However, with the long hours, busy days, and summer heat, by the time I get home from work I am out like a light bulb. No wonder it has taken me so long to get a new post up here.

My first two months at the feedyard has offered me many, many new learning opportunities. As a “Management Trainee”, part of my job is to get a feel for how my department is managed. A word of advice from my manager is that the cattle department is the most difficult part of feedyard management. In the feed, yard, and mill departments everything is mechanical and there are fewer people in each department. In the cattle department, things can be only so structured when working with livestock. Within the cattle department, we have the Pen Riders, Doctors, Receivers, and Processors, not to mention all of the horses and only 60,000+ head of cattle to manage. And you wonder why my manager says this department is tough.

One thing I have learned quickly is everyone is different and the types of people that fill certain positions find teamwork a difficult concept to grasp. Back home in Arkansas, I grew up with the attitude of “Let’s all work together to finish the job, because we all want to go home at the end of the day.” That is not the case everywhere, as I am now learning. In my mind, I will finish my job for the day and if I see someone having trouble or with a lot left to finish, say like the doctor crew still has two hospitals to finish, I will go lend a hand so everyone can get home. I just do not get people that do not have that frame of mind. For some people out here it is more of an “I will finish my job and get on out of here.” To a point, that attitude is admirable. There is a place and a time for getting your job done and heading out. However, some people will find things to do just so they can work all day, so it is hard always to go lend a hand. But when I am finished a few hours early and I see someone is short handed, there is no way I am going home early without offering some help first. That is just the way my mind works. For some others, apparently not.

Where do people in your area stand on this issue? Is there a feeling of teamwork, “I’m finished early so I’ll help this other crew who is running behind”? Or is it more of a feeling of independence, “I’ll finish my job and it’s other’s fault if their day runs long”? Let me know what you think. Send me an email (rjlgoodman@hotmail.com) or find me on Facebook and Twitter. Until next time, ARranchhand