Texas Wildlife - Texas Brigades: Learning by Doing - January 2022

TEXAS BRIGADES Learning by Doing

Article by CAMPBELL CAGE Photos courtesy of TEXAS BRIGADES

Campbell administers a brand after learning from local veterinarian and Ranch Brigade instructors how to safely brand and why branding is important in most operations.

As I entered my sophomore year of high school, my classmates and I were required to identify an event and/or experience that had changed the course of our lives. For many, their pencils sat still on the paper, but I knew exactly what would start my list: Texas Brigades.

Texas Brigades is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to educate and empower adolescents with leadership skills and knowledge in wildlife, fisheries and land stewardship to become conservation ambassadors for a sustained natural resource legacy. Texas Brigades offers eight different camps during June and July across the state.

Students, ages 13-17, who are interested in learning about the outdoors and wildlife are eligible to apply. I highly recommend getting involved for countless reasons, especially because of the incredible people and the one-of-a-kind educational opportunities that exist at the camps. Texas Brigades is an experience one treasures forever.

Last summer I attended Ranch Brigade, a five-day program in Santa Anna, Texas, where I got to explore cattle production while learning land stewardship skills. All the campers were assigned to one of four different herds: Brahman, Hereford, Charolais and Angus. Each herd consisted of six to seven campers (called cadets), an assistant herd leader and a herd leader, all of whom became my family for the week.

Campbell (4th from left) poses with her herd mates as they start to grill their own steaks. Beef Loving Texans, a part of the Beef Checkoff, supports Ranch Brigade by providing instruction to properly grill beef, equipment, steaks and all the trimmings.

Upon arrival at the Warren Ranch, we wasted no time. We were all handed a quiz that tested our knowledge of native and exotic grasses as well as the different elements of beef production. I know what you’re thinking… a quiz already? That’s exactly what went on in my head too. But as a graduate of the program I now realize everything built into the schedule had a purpose—even this welcome quiz.

After our assessment, the 26 cadets, all strangers, loaded the bus and drove to observe a cow necropsy, a large-scale dissection, on site. From the digestive system and learning how to age cattle to understanding vaccinations and the different facets of a cattle operation, I felt like my brain had grown exponentially already—and it hadn’t even been a full day! The week was filled with hands-on activities and presentations given by the best men and women in their fields.

This camp was unlike any other camp I have ever experienced. Thanks to the thoughtful planning by Ranch Brigade volunteers, campers were given the unique opportunity to follow the cattle production system fully from pasture to plate.

We started with the different elements of the land and how they can and will affect livestock. It is amazing how important it is to maintain plants and plant residue on your ground to help build up organic matter and prevent erosion, yet I had no idea soil structure was a factor every landowner should investigate.

Similarly, it is vital to know what is growing on your property and how that can save lives and money. For example, without being able to identify the purple dots on johnsongrass as a sign that the grass is stressed and therefore poisonous, you are at risk of losing cattle and economic growth.

We learned how to herd cattle calmly and quietly with an enlightening demonstration, followed by the opportunity to work cattle ourselves. For me, it was a day for many firsts: vaccinating, deworming, branding, dehorning, ear tagging and even castrating—how many other camps offer that?!

As a herd we competed in a variety of ranch chores, including dummy roping, goat sorting, post hole digging and watering/ feeding cattle. Although we found ourselves sweating and out of breath by the end of each activity, the reward of our hard work and immense amount of knowledge we gained made it all worth it.

At the end of the week, we had front row tickets to the practical art of beef processing and learned first-hand about the various cuts of meat and where they come from on a cow. I had the opportunity to grill my own flat iron steak, not to mention enjoy it!

Ranch Brigade was an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything. This camp was so much more to me than just memorizing facts for the daily trivia competition or shouting the loudest while reciting cadences; this educational camp fostered learning and inspired me to love the environment. Throughout the week we not only became more informed and prepared land stewards and ranch managers, but leaders and better people.

During our time at Warren Ranch, we participated in several public speaking competitions and seminars; this was a special time for us to build the confidence and skills necessary to successfully educate and share with others what we learned.

We were provided the chance to observe the natural world waking up and going to bed through silent journaling and reflection at sunrise and sunset. These moments made me recognize my newfound passion and love for the outdoors and my urgent desire to conserve the land and serve the agricultural industry; something I wouldn’t have found without Ranch Brigade.

Driving into Ranch Brigade my mind was racing. What would I be learning? Driving out, my mind was racing again, but this time with passion. How am I going to be part of a positive change in my own community through spreading my experiences and advocating for the land and the animals?

As we loaded the ranch bus for the last time, we were now a family, high school students bound by a love for agriculture and a motivation to preserve it. After all, it isn’t hard to fall in love with this industry after being influenced by conservationists like Chris Farley, Jon Taggart, Steve Nelle and Jeff Petter.

Motivated by these legendary ranchers and land stewards, I was determined to start an agricultural club in my school community. I strive to continue to influence and educate my community to appreciate and understand our natural resources and hopefully help inspire people to be curious and excited about the natural world, wild things, and wild places

Remember that plant identification and beef production test I took at the beginning of camp? Well, during our last couple of hours as Ranch Brigade cadets we retook the same assessment— and the improvement was impressive.

I truly believe that regardless of previous knowledge or experience, everyone can all learn something and use the knowledge to create a more informed world. And for many, Texas Brigades is the key to opening the door to a better today… and a better tomorrow.

For more information, visit www.texasbrigades.org.