Ag Students Compete Internationally

Good land stewardship and improving rangelands are emphasized in Sheridan College’s Natural Resources and Ranch Land Management classes. The critical issue of rangeland improvements was taken beyond the classroom by five agriculture students, who chose to compete at the International Society for Range Management conference in Billings, Montana this spring.

Tom Alderson (Ag Business), Ian Hamilton (Natural Resources and Ranch Land Management), Justin Jensen (Natural Resources and Ranch Land Management), Justin North (Animal Science), and Tyler Pickrel (Animal Science) placed 9th with their professional “topics poster,” competing against 15 other colleges and universities. The poster, titled, “Reseeding efforts around water developments: Improving rangelands,” described rangeland management practices throughout the world and how they might apply to Wyoming rangelands.

“These students worked exceptionally hard to research their topic,” SC Director of Agriculture Keith Klement said. “They chose a topic that is beneficial to the greater Wyoming area and did a fantastic job.”

Though the students participated for many different reasons and have varying agriculture backgrounds and goals, all five students found the experience challenging, rewarding and fun.

Pickrel, a Wyoming native from Moorcroft, whose family runs a ranch operation for beef cattle, bucking horses and bucking bulls, is pursuing an animal science degree with the plan to return to the family ranch. It is important to him to be able to manage the rangeland to keep agriculture productive. As part of the research for the poster, he came to understand the history of water development and the progression of well types from artesian wells, electric wells, wind mills to even solar panels on their ranch and across the U.S.

Jensen, also a Wyoming native from the Billy Creek community south of Buffalo, started his education in a one room school house. He is now studying natural resource management because he wants to work with the land, animals and cattle, possibly in mining reclamation or in range management for the Forest Service or BLM. After growing up in a ranching family that managed more than 2200 acres, he is anxious to be a skilled land steward who helps protect natural resources.

All of the students appreciated the opportunity to connect with other Ag professionals and students from around the world.

“The convention was a great chance to visit with producers and range managers who are involved in agriculture, as well as learn from other students,” said Tyler Pickrel.