Ag Students Visit IX Ranch

From Montana State University-Northern

Montana State University-Northern agricultural operations technology - AOT - Assistant Professor Brianna Bernhardt, took her Range Livestock Production Class to visit the IX Ranch near Big Sandy to observe how they conduct a pregnancy test on 800 cows in eight hours. 

Also on the trip was the director of industry relations, Mary Heller, who has been working on this trip for some time.

IX Ranch Vice President Richard Roth, one of Northern's Agricultural Operations Technology Advisory Board members, gave the students a tour of their facilities and shared some insights into how they run the IX Ranch.

"Hands-on experiences are a great tool for connecting classroom content with actual practice," Bernhardt said. "These students had the opportunity to discuss many management tools with Rich and the IX managers including horse care and management, reproductive techniques, nutrition management, as well as the safety and welfare of both the workers and the animals."

AOT students will attend a number of tours and workshops throughout their time in the program. This is just one example of how the community supports student learning and Northern's ag program.

"I think tours like this are important for young producers going to school because they get hands-on experience on some of the most successful ranches in Montana," said Nate Costin, agriculture technology major. get to see and hear how beneficial techniques are being used so they can adjust or modify them to fit their operation and ultimately become better managers

Heller said she was excited to help organize the trip, as it was an important component of building a solid partnership with a prominent member of the agriculture industry in north-central Montana.

"I was excited that Richard came to me several years ago with an interest in helping MSU-Northern build our AOT program to greater heights," she said. "I suggested he be a member of the advisory board, which he did and is still very active in his involvement."

Heller added that the IX Ranch is a well-known large production ranch that has been extremely involved in Montana's livestock industry since its fruition in the mid-1950s. In addition to their own business, the ranch sees the importance of being involved with education in the ag industry and, through that, implemented their own internship program so students can get valuable hands-on experience different than they would typically find anywhere else.

"The fact that the IX has their own internship program and sees the value of being a part of student education in the industry is a big deal," Heller said. "Even our students who come from a farm/ranch background can learn something new or different by experiencing how a ranch of this size manages their entire operations. It is our job at Northern to bring these opportunities to our students and the fact that the IX is so willing to partner with us to do that makes all of us winners."