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Ranch help needed in SE Montana

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cowpuncher76 said:
I find this thread interesting to say the least. I'm not a land owner, and wasn't raised in the ag industry. Hell, I never sat on a horse til I was a 19 year old soldier!

Once I started riding, I was bit hard by the bug. I dayworked on weekends and on leave. Anything to get an introduction to the cowboy world.

Since leaving the Army, after returning to Afghanistan in 2002, I've done nothing but cowboy for wages and started colts. I've worked for as little as $900 a month (a certain unnamed outfit in Northern Montana that likes to hire out of staters, since Montanans won't work for them anymore), simply because I wanted to work in Montana. I left a cowboy job in Idaho, making $1800 a month to take that job too.

The most I've ever earned in this business was $2100 a month, and that was because I was riding colts and got paid by the ride. I worked my tail off to make that.

I'd be satisfied with a $1800-2000 a month job, with no benefits, even if I didn't get to run some of my own cows. All I ask for is housing and beef and to run a couple of my own horses. I've got a solid resume and great references. So, if help is so hard to find.....why am I struggling to find work right now?

I did get the lead that Faster Horses was talking about, but that's literally, the ONLY solid lead I've had in six weeks.

I normally use the Montana and Wyoming WorkSource sites, ranchworldads, this site, the Capital Press, and the Western Livestock Journal...Am I looking in the wrong places?

The other day, I spoke to a fella at Colorado's workservices. He pointed out that everyone was using foreign workers. Sure, they work for less....I worked a place in Utah that had 9 Peruvians.....because they couldn't get white guys to work for them. Camp was 90 miles from town, you got 4 days a month off, and there was no running water or power at the camps...I accomplished more, by myself, than those nine Peruvians did together....Why shouldn't I get paid a little more (I was making $200 a month more than the lowest paid Peruvian....I was getting $1600 a month)?

I don't know a buckaroo one who wouldn't be happy to work for $1800-2000 a month...That's less than the aforementioned $40,000 a year, even after you add in the cost of housing, utilities and beef.........I know five or six guys, all with good experience and references, that are looking for work right now.
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your initials don't happen to be E. L. are they?
 
Grassfarmer said:
Yanuck said:
how many owners on Ranchers that have employees let them run cows of their own?
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Don't employ anyone now but in the old country we always allowed employed men to keep their own stock - was a few head of sheep rather than cattle. I think it's a great idea and wouldn't hesitate to do it with cows here if I was employing. It's a lower cost perk to provide than many and it ensure you get workers interested in stock with the bonus that they pay more attention to all the stock. It's a win win in my book.
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I totally agree with you GF, but owners who think like you are far and few between. Rishel Angus lets their guys run cows and puts them thru their sale, the cowman had high selling bull a few yrs ago.
 
I would like the job,I dont ride green horses,dont know much about cattle,caint operate a tractor to good,seems like Im always tearin down fence when I try and since I dont know how to build fence I will work purty cheap.
$50 week room & board/pickup and good whiskey,saturdays & Sundays off ,would like the ranch to be purty close to town so I can do a lil socializin come Saturday.
thanx for you consideration & good luck
 
I have worked a lot of different jobs. Been bouncing around since my Dad broke his back, riding a colt I had started, in 1983. Tried running his place a couple times, but I don't have the gutts to go that far into debt, to make a farm or ranch work. I have never been unemployed, when I didn't want to be. I have worked for as low as $400/month to bringing home $100,000, between the wife and myself. Right now I am on a place that is owned by a family that lives 200 miles from me. We summer pairs, and in the winter I am expected to play mechanic, carpenter, dirt contractor, and anything else that they come up with. Moved here after making $100,000, took a $75,000 cut in pay, but also don't have the $1,000/ month mortgage, the $1,000/month fuel bill getting to and from work, the higher insurance premiums on the vehicles, from living in urban settings. We have more spending money then we ever have. We get to run 5 head of horses, Lisa uses the ranches electricity for her leather work, and we are able to fatten our own critters for meat.
Right in this area, I know of 6 ranches that are looking for at least calving help, and most of them would keep a good person on full time. I say person, because there are alot of outfits that would just as soon have a woman working for them.
I don't think the money is such an issue, in this country its 40 miles to a grocery store, 25 miles to a church, and alot of people can't handle the isolation that comes with ranch life. You have to enjoy what you are doing, if not NO amount of MONEY will matter.
Just my opinions.
 
good thread. A lot of down to earth things here that need to be discussed. I haven't hired much help in the past 10 years so I am little behind the times. have had several full time employees in the past. Most were first time workers, I'll admit they didn't get great wages, when they found something better, I didn't get angry with them for leaving but was happy for them. Most of them believed that I was just rolling in the money, but the truth be known, my net income was only a little if any larger then their. They spent all their earning, I invested a little of mine into buildiing my assets, paying for land, equipment, etc.

A few years back I was working with a group that was trying to keep our old Bootstraps program going. We had bankers talking to us. At that time they said a family of 4 neede $44,000 net income a year before taxes. well in my 50 some years in business I have never had that net income.

These bankers were talking to self imployed ranchers and farmers. Those who work for wages often do not consider wages witheld for taxes, taxes matched, helth care insurance or other insurance the employer might have in case they were hurt on the job as wages. The self employed pay all of these themselves.

To make $44,000 a year, and if you work only 40 hours a week, you need to earn $21 or $22 an hour. I don't know if many ranch jobs pay that.

I don't know what the answer is, more profitability in ranching maybe, but then there would probably be more investment in assets and more young people would be denied the opportunity to go in business for themsrlves.
 
The last fella that worked here made $18.50 hr. He worked part time as he had his own little ranch and freezer trade chicken, sheep and beef business. He used our trailers and equipment as he needed them. He has not worked here for about a year now. He still uses our equipment as he needs it. :shock: All but a few keep in touch regularly and some we have helped get into their new careers. Anyone that suits me as an employee has the ambition to go it on their own. I accept that and use them as they use me for a stepping stone. They leave here with support and advice and usually friendship.
 
That's how it has been for us too, per. In fact, we are heading out
to see one of those good fellas that were with us on and off in the
mid-seventies to mid-eighties. He's like family to us and he's 51 years
old now.

To me, the mark of a good boss is one that doesn't begrude anyone
from wanting to better themselves.

We never had full-time ranch help because we never had a big
enough outfit, but we had young people that worked for us during the
summers. Most of them enriched our lives.
 
Cowpuncher76, there's a place in south fla. A ranch called aleco. They will pay day wages of 140 dollar, house you, feed you, board 2 of your horses and 2 cow dogs. You will never patch fence or change a tire. Its long days and nothin but cow's. they have a big turn around and r always hirein. Pm me if u won't a phone #.
 
Cowhunter,

Thanks for that lead.....Not real interested in Florida though. I spent some time in Florida when I was in the Army.....I can't see far enough to not be claustrophobic....

I know, beggars shouldn't be choosers, but I'd prefer to stay west of the 100th meridian......
 
Well, I asure u wouldn't get the clostrfoby there. They get u at 4 in the mornin and drive 20 miles of dirt road to get to a set of pens. Most all ride stud horses cause the give more and dump them several gallons of feed at night. Its not workin cattle around disney if that what ur thinkin. My sons gettin a month there this summer. He wonts to experence it.
 
I was wondering if you still need help. I have some experience but if you are willing I am a quick learner and really want to learn. I would like to hear back.
 
For the record, I let my guys run both cattle and horses on my place. I cover the cost of vaccinations, feed, etc. They seem happy with the arrangement and like others, I believe they take better care of the animals as a whole by having their own to look after as well.

I started in the oilfield in '78, $4.75/hour which was above minimum wage but still not a lot of money. Always paid myself first (stashing money aside for the future) and worked every overtime hour the boss would give me. Eventually bought the company.

Anyway, glad I got to read this thread even though it's a couple of years old. Some things will probably never change and the wage issue is one of them.

Hey, speaking of some things never changing, can you imagine waking up next to Jingo every morning? :lol:
 
Alico, Inc. (The "Company"), which was formed February 29, 1960 as a spin-off of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company, is a land management company operating in Central and Southwest Florida. The Company's primary asset is 139,607 acres of land located in Collier, Glades, Hendry, Lee and Polk Counties.



The Company is involved in a variety of agribusiness pursuits in addition to land leasing and rentals, rock and sand mining and real estate sales activities.



Alico is a public Company traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol ALCO.



The Company's land is managed for multiple uses wherever possible. For example, cattle ranching, forestry and land leased for farming, grazing, recreation and oil exploration utilize the same acreage in some instances.



The Company has three wholly owned subsidiaries: Alico-Agri, Ltd. ("Alico-Agri"),Bowen Brothers Fruit LLC ("Bowen"), and Alico Land Development, Inc. The Company employs approximately 135 full-time employees.
 
Whitewing said:
For the record, I let my guys run both cattle and horses on my place. I cover the cost of vaccinations, feed, etc. They seem happy with the arrangement and like others, I believe they take better care of the animals as a whole by having their own to look after as well.

I started in the oilfield in '78, $4.75/hour which was above minimum wage but still not a lot of money. Always paid myself first (stashing money aside for the future) and worked every overtime hour the boss would give me. Eventually bought the company.

Anyway, glad I got to read this thread even though it's a couple of years old. Some things will probably never change and the wage issue is one of them.

Hey, speaking of some things never changing, can you imagine waking up next to Jingo every morning? :lol:
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Oh Whitewing. What happened to you? We fear it wasn't good because you just disappeared...
 

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