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Position Title: Ranch Management Apprenticeship
Name of Ranch/Business: Rock Hills Ranch
Location: Lowry, South Dakota
Role Summary:
Rock Hills Ranch is a diversified cattle and crop operation in north-central South Dakota running approximately 850 commercial cows and 1,100 stocker yearlings across 17,000 acres of native range and cropland. The operation includes a 1000 hd seasonal backgrounding yard, 1000+ acres of cash and forage crops, rotational grazing across 150+ paddocks, and 120 miles of fence. Our commitment to stewardship and conservation is reflected in being awarded the SD Leopold Award for Conservation, the NCBA Environmental Stewardship Award (national winner), and SD Soil Health Coalition Legacy Award.
This is a unique position for an individual with the aptitude and ambition to grow the skills needed for a full management role over a 5–10 year timeline. It is an ideal stepping stone to prepare for attending KRIRM and moving on to professional ranch management in the future. The right candidate will be mentored directly by the owner across all aspects of a complex, multi-enterprise operation, while gaining boots-on-the-ground experience in operations. Compensation includes a $55,000 starting salary, housing, and the option to partner on the ranch’s stocker yearling enterprise. Educational opportunities (grazing schools, stockmanship clinics, and other relevant off-ranch development) will be part of the deal.
Required Qualifications:
- Ranch background; foundational skills already in place
- Self-starter with a work ethic that doesn’t need managing
- Honest, curious, coachable
- Committed to a long-term tenure (5-10 years)
- Desire and potential to manage a complex operation independently in the future
- two or four year degree in ag or business related studies
Key Responsibilities:
Responsibilities will vary depending on the individual’s abilities and experience. However, because we approach ranching from an integrated and holistic mindset, over the course of time there will be exposure to or responsibility for all areas of ranch operations as trust and competency develop. These include:
- Daily cattle care across cow/calf, stocker, and feedlot enterprises
- Adaptive grazing management of up to 500 hd herds in all seasons
- Winter feeding operations (mixed rations for calves, bale grazing for cows)
- Fence maintenance and infrastructure upkeep (120 miles)
- Record keeping and herd health protocols
- Participation in cattle and feed marketing and purchasing decisions
- Capital expenditure decisions
- Investor & business partner relations
- Ranch accounting & economic analysis
- Integration of new technology
- Employee management
What it won’t include:
- A lot of hay production – some, but not a lot
- Deep dive into cash crop production – this enterprise is operated and managed by my business partner. We have conversations about cropping decisions, but I have little involvement in execution. Exposure to grain production and marketing decisions is all I can guarantee.
Estimated Salary: $55,000 starting salary, plus housing and equity opportunities
Ranch Contact: Luke Perman – rockhillsranch@gmail.com – (605) 845-6882
Website: http://www.rockhillsranch.com