A Ride Through the Sandhills: Wrapping Up the 2026 Ranch Internship Season
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- 5 min read
There may not be a better way to wrap up a summer spent learning about ranching than to experience the Sandhills from behind a team of draft horses.
On August 11th, interns, ranch mentors, apprentices, and members of the Sandhills Task Force gathered at Cedar Creek Ranch near Ericson for the final event of the 2026 Sandhills Ranch Internship season. Three teams of Percherons - Dick and Doug, Beauty and Bell, and Eddie and Alan - pulled wagons through the ranch as Joel Qualm, Brent Swick, and Aaron Eilers drove the teams.
For the interns, who had spent the previous three months learning about ranch life and the culture of the sandhills, it was a fitting way to end the season: together, outside, looking closely at the land and talking about the decisions that make Cedar Creek Ranch successful.
The 14 interns who participated this summer came from across the country and worked alongside experienced ranchers. Although their days looked different from one ranch to another, the work demands were mostly the same: early mornings, caring for cattle, branding, putting up hay, fixing fences, and learning that ranching often requires both hard work and persistence.
Joel Qualm - Cedar Creek Ranch leads the way with interns and apprentices, providing a tour of his ranch near Ericson. (Photos by KyLee Kime, STF)
Grazing management up close
Cedar Creek Ranch is a third-generation family operation. Joel and Jane Qualm, along with their son-in-law and daughter, Brent and Jessica Swick, run the ranch as a custom grazing operation focused on grass management and livestock performance. Their approach relies on carefully managing grazing across numerous cross-fenced pastures, allowing frequent livestock moves.
As the wagons moved through the ranch, the interns could see those management decisions up close. One stop took the group through a meadow divided diagonally into paddocks, while another pasture revealed the results of a cedar removal completed three years ago and a prescribed burn conducted earlier in the spring, which will allow grazing to begin this August.
The group also visited a pasture where Cedar Creek is beginning a five-year study comparing harvest rates between grazing and haying. The ranch is experimenting with how and when grass is grazed, including an initial “flash graze” on the upland hills to reduce cool-season grass height by roughly one-third and encourage warm-season grasses to thrive before a second grazing offers a more complete harvest. Eight years ago, sand bluestem was scarce on the ranch. After years of management efforts, the native grass is starting to return. The outcomes of these long-term management decisions were apparent throughout the ranch.
Joel Qualm and Brent Swick talk about grazing, fence, and water system improvements. (Photos by KyLee Kime, STF)
Adapting Water Infrastructure to Meet Needs
Improvements to water infrastructure further show how ranchers can adapt their systems to benefit both livestock and the landscape. Cedar Creek has upgraded water systems to solar power to support the demands of high-intensity grazing. Electric fencing around watering areas encourages cattle to drink, then move away from the water source, helping to protect the surrounding land more effectively.
The tour inspired a variety of questions, covering topics from solar panels, electric fence systems and chargers, how cattle adapt to rotational moves and the moves' effects on fly control, to plant diversity and wildlife.
Traveling across a 150-acre pasture, we observed an area that had been grazed for three days and was only four days removed from the cattle. The early regrowth offered an up-close look into how quickly the pasture responded.
Cedar Creek’s grazing system has been built around observation and adaptation. Pasture mapping, grazing plans, record-keeping, drone use, and frequent monitoring all guide decision-making.
Learning from a ranch that keeps evolving
The tour also highlighted that good ranch management isn’t about following one formula. Cedar Creek has invested in solar-powered wells, pipelines, water tanks and fencing to improve grazing distribution, increase flexibility and support grass recovery. Prescribed fire is another essential tool for maintaining healthy grasslands and managing woody encroachment.
The ranch’s commitment to continuous learning is central to its approach. Joel and Jane also work alongside their daughter, Jenita, who operates Wild Prairie Solutions. Her work with grazing management, soils, and water resources brings additional perspective to the family’s ongoing efforts to meet their goals.
For the interns and apprentices, the day demonstrated something central to ranching: the work is never really finished. Ranchers must continually observe, learn, adjust, and make decisions based on livestock, grass, weather conditions, wildlife, and the land's long-term health.
From Ranch Tour to the Recap
After the tour, the group gathered in Ericson for dinner and a final recap of the internship season. Everyone gathered in a circle to talk about their experience, sharing their highs, lows, and memorable moments from the season.
Participants shared that their experience went beyond learning ranching skills. They had the opportunity to be directly engaged in ranching, which deepened their understanding of the responsibilities involved. This hands-on experience also highlighted the importance of good communication, decision-making, cattle and land management.
The group took time to discuss ways the Sandhills Task Force can continue to improve and enhance the internship program. Feedback from interns and mentors will help shape future systems, ensuring the program remains beneficial for both the ranch mentors who host participants and the individuals who come to the Sandhills to learn.
The 2026 season began with an excited group of individuals arriving from all across the country. By August, these individuals had shared long days, new experiences, challenges, hard work, and plenty of stories. They left with new relationships and a deeper understanding of ranch life in the Sandhills.
Perhaps one of the most valuable aspects of the internships was not only learning how to care for cattle, fix fences, and put up hay, but also gaining insight into the values cherished by Sandhills ranch families and communities: responsibility, adaptability, resilience, care for the land and livestock, and one another.
The two ranch apprentices from the first season of the ranch program joined the celebration and will continue their nine-month journey, carrying their own learning forward into the fall.
We are grateful to the 2026 interns for their eagerness to learn, curiosity, and the hard work they contributed to the Sandhills ranches. We also thank the ranch families who welcomed them onto their ranches, into their homes, and into their daily lives, providing valuable learning opportunities. We also appreciate the communities that embraced the interns.
Although the season has come to an end, the lessons learned and the relationships formed will last for many years to come. Applications for the 2027 season will open on November 1st. For questions, please contact KyLee at 308-340-2781 or kylee@sandhillstaskforce.org.
Cedar Creek Ranch intern Matthew Bruening driving Beauty and Bell back to the ranch. (Photos by KyLee Kime)