Professional Documents
Culture Documents
AGSD 485
ALE Reflection
Introduction
HWY 180, it is a family owned ranch owned by the Terry Family out of Dallas (MM Terry
wildlife management, land management, field cultivation, and run a cattle operation. The
cattle operation is still in the beginning phases, they have started with a red angus
operation, while also having stocker cows. They are hoping to become one of the
premier red angus operations in Texas. Being around so many different agricultural
Why was the MT7 Ranch the best fit for me?
I feel like the ranch was the best fit for me because I had the opportunity to be
around so many different agricultural concepts, that Mean a lot to me, and that I want to
be engaged in the rest of my life. I hope to be involved in the wildlife, while using
land management techniques that I have learned while Interning on the MT7 Ranch. I
found that using production agriculture for Wheat, Hay, and Sorghum while, cycling
cattle through pastures to graze grasses, will allow for more quail, whitetail, and
Turkeys.
within the discipline, I used a lot of heavy machinery such as large tractors, Bobcats,
and Sky Trak in which I learned about in several of my classes such as Ag Mechanical
Services, I also had to do a lot of electrical working on trailer wiring, and small engine
work on chainsaws and things of that nature, and lots of fencing work, which I learned
plants in texas with Mr. Ricky Lennox at my internship, as well as in my crop science,
horticulture, and plant propagation class. The information I learned in class, allowed me
knowledge I already knew and expand on it, especially having been side by side with
some of the greatest plant professionals in Texas, such as Dr. Kattes, Mrs. Shockey,
Justice. Although my internship was only agriculture, I had several courses which
helped me prepare for this internship. This internship had a large amount of wildlife
experience I gained as well, although I have been engaged in wildlife my whole life, I
had taken wildlife management while at Tarleton which prepared me for a large amount
of the work I did at the ranch. Although I first was in hopes of being a Texas game
warden, and minored in Criminal Justice, I got to meet, and learn several things from
Game Warden Cliff Westbrook, He wanted to go over all hunting laws in which were to
be enforced in Stephens County. And allowed us to ask any other questions we had
about their job, and asked us to always report any suspicious activity in the county to
him. Although I never thought I would use my accounting class I took at Tarleton in the
Ag Field, Was shown I was wrong. While at the Ranch we were asked to purchase
multiple supplies for the ranch and to work with the accountant for the ranch to report all
receipts, and gas usage from the ranch. We also had to try and practice the best
purchasing practices for the ranch, trying to use money efficiently and in a way it would
Beyond Academics
get in a groove or everyday schedule, waking up at the same time, and getting to bed at
the same time. I realized that it allows you to relieve stress, and allows you to think
more clearly. I began the internship and remained tired for the first couple of weeks, but
I finally adapted, and have came to a point where I wake up anywhere from 6:30 to 7:00
am, even on the weekends without an alarm anymore. I used to be a student that would
schedule his classes as late as I could get my schedule to work so I could sleep in. I
realized that those semesters were not as good as the past semesters as I began
choosing classes earlier and earlier, and then having classes and my internship start at
that I was going to have to get my body in a groove, and it has certainly paid off.
I also realized how important telling the truth at all times is, even if you may have
done the wrong thing in the first place, telling the truth will always help you in the long
run. The ranch had a full time employee when I first started that, had made few
mistakes, and had originally lied about it to our ranch manager. The ranch manager
ended up finding out the truth and had to fire that employee, because he could no
longer trust him. Our ranch manager, would have kept the individual as an employee
had he not lied about the incidents when they happened. It just really opened my eyes
about how important telling the truth is. Both honesty, and having a schedule are life
skills needed to succeed throughout your career, and I am glad i got to witness both of
Interconnectedness
courses at Tarleton, although I switched my major multiple times through my first two
years of college I feel like all the extra courses I took also prepared me for this
internship. The staff I worked with was great, and wanted us to work hard, play harder
while working for them because if we weren't having fun, we wouldn't be hard workers
or be efficient. The life lessons I was taught, and the experience I gained will allow me
prepared by the best professors, and staff at Tarleton, and the staff at the MT7 Ranch.
Global Awareness
amazing work experience for the field I hope to go into. Work experience is vital to
getting a job, but life experiences are vital to keeping that job. My internship supervisor,
Dawson Lilly, really preached that to us as interns, wanting us to become more efficient
with our work, thinking ahead, and planning ahead allowing for us to get the most done
in the time we are given. We felt like we exceeded that as we caught up on work that
had to be done in the first month we started, which they hadn't been caught up in almost
a year. I learned valuable lessons, about why things should be done certain ways, and
that if you listen to what you're told, usually things will work out best, some of the interns
made mistakes, on things they had been warned could happen if you did certain things.
For instance, while spraying on the tractor we were told to keep the cab door closed, as
it could break due to a bump or something slapping it, he believed that wouldn't happen
and left the door open. Moments later the door slapped into a tree and shattered the
door, after being told it could possibly happen, and then seeing it had already been
done. Most of our elders have been through these experiences and that is why they
inform us not to do something, and when you do it anyways, things like this usually
happen. These experiences I learned at the MT7 Ranch will follow me as I go through
my career.
Broader Implications
The Internship at the MT7 Ranch gave me a really good idea at how our world
population continues to grow, we continuously take more agricultural land away. and
what land is still available a large majority of property owners, are not deeply engaged
in Land conservation, wildlife conservation, and land stewardship, while still trying to
assist the public, and educational system in Breckenridge. The ranches allows the 5th
grade in Breckenridge, to come out and have a field day, where we educate the
internship felt like it flew by, and I learned tons of life lessons, I am happy to have the