Family-owned cattle ranch in the Sandhills of Western Nebraska, USA

Details

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  Description

  We are a family owned and operated cattle ranch in the beautiful sandhills of the Nebraska panhandle. We have had numerous foreign visitors before and enjoy getting to know people from different parts of the world. We really enjoy showing people this old western way of life and foreign workers seem especially eager to learn. "We" are my husband, myself and our son who is 16 years old. We are a cow/calf operation and do some of our work horseback. We raise about 1000 mama cows on approximately 12,000 acres. We are a ways from town so need someone who would like to learn the trade and not focused on getting to town to socialize. Any sex, color, religion, orientation is welcome, as long as you are willing to listen, remember and work hard. We have numerous animals to care for but most of the work is cattle related. For safety reasons, we need to have workawayers that have extensive riding experience. We do NOT have any horses for beginning riders. We also require that due to the nature of the work, you be fit and strong. The basic act of opening some of our gates requires strength and thought. Every season has different work for us. Summers require more yard work, planting trees and haying, while fall and spring require more horseback and cattle work. In the winter there is some riding but more work is done with a truck.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Most of our guests say that riding in such huge pastures is the highlight of their stay. The wide open spaces and beautiful landscapes are a unique experience that one won't soon forget. It's incredibly quiet here and sometimes you can hear the coal trains rumbling down the track 15 miles away. You'll always here coyotes in the evening, and if you're here during the spring and summer months, evening sounds are crickets, frogs, insects, nighthawks, owls, far off mooing, a gentle wind in the trees and the birds jostling around for the best spot in the nest. Other than that, there is no engine noise, cars, people or even airplanes. No light pollution and wide open spaces means that star gazing is the best, and you can almost always spot a satellite.
  We never ask more than what we are willing to do, or rely on a workawayer to equal the work of an employee. We want to provide a safe learning experience for those who want to learn the ways of real cowboys. We offer minimum wages for all ELIGIBLE guests. Possibly more hours available if you agree and IF we have the tasks.

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  Host offers payment in line with the minimum wage

  This host offers accommodation and payment.

  Host has indicated that they will pay at least the minimum hourly wage of their country for each hour worked and that accommodation will also be provided. They are asking for help with a business or business activity. Contact the host directly via the site messenger for more information and details about the wage provided. Any arrangements should be agreed in advance with your host.

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  Help

  You might have the opportunity to learn to fence, move cattle, feed, drive tractors depending on the season, ride horses, work cattle through the chute, vaccinate, and all other general cattle work. In the summer might ask you for general lawn mowing and other gardening duties. You must have a valid drivers liscense in your country. We provide you food but you will have to prepare your own meals. Baking on a bad weather day is always a treat for us! Winter help is very different than summer help. We also have several young horses so if you are experienced in equine training, we would be interested in speaking with you.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Beginner

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  Accommodation

  We have a separate bunkhouse just for workawayers but will never put more than two people in the house, unless you are traveling together and agree to sleep in the same double bed. There are two beds, two toilets and two sinks but one shower that must be shared. For this reason we avoid putting separate genders in the house together. We have wifi in the main house and during nice weather most Workawayer like to sit on the deck to use it. We have no house pets but many that will want to cuddle with you outside and we are picky about cleaning up after yourself.

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  What else ...

  We would ask that you start with a month stay. Less than that is difficult to learn anything here, even getting to different pastures. We can possibly accomodate you much longer, if it works out between us and we don't have another workawayer coming. Mount Rushmore, (the faces) is approximately 2.5 hours from the ranch and most workawayers like to visit that and Crazyhorse Monument and Deadwood, South Dakota, as well as Rapid City, the Badlands, and Custer State Park, where bison roam free. Some of our workaways have rented a car and traveled to Yellowstone or the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and Tetons in Wyoming.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Space for parking camper vans

  any size is fine. We can hook you up to electricity and water.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  25 max per week

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