Ranch Program Overview

Hello everyone and welcome to Mt. Carmel Youth Ranch’s blog.

In the previous entry, I mentioned that there was going to be a series of articles to discuss what is going on at the Ranch. This particular entry is meant to be the first of such articles.

What I’d like to focus on today is an overview of the Ranch’s Program. As our web site states, “We specialize in a unique therapeutic approach that creates steady behavior improvement.” It is also stated elsewhere, “[The Ranch] uses real life experiences on a ranch to dignify and increase the self-esteem of the troubled youth.”

What do the above two statements mean?

When I first came to the Ranch to work as a mentor, the answer to the above question hit me very quickly.

There is the constant presence of nature, life and death on the Ranch that faces all of us every day.

In my case, I first arrived in the beginning of January—right at the beginning of calving season in all its, bitter, glory.

I say ‘bitter’ because in Northwest Wyoming, it is bitter COLD at that time of the year. The fact that the Ranch is situated on a desert makes for very cold nights.

As I was to discover later, bitter cold nights in January were only the beginning of the end in the life of the Ranch.

There is a cycle followed by the Ranch. As we are a ‘real-working cattle ranch,’ the cycle follows that of the cattle with the seasons of the year. Beginning in Spring and running until the end of Winter, there is a different emphases placed upon each season, accompanied with responsibilities and duties particular to each. Each of these responsibilities and duties is what forms the heart of our programs for the boys.

In the Spring, the beginning of our cycle commences and it is usually awaited with high expectations.

The first duty is breeding the cows and this is what overtakes a good portion of the Spring work. A cow’s gestation period is nine months, like that of humans. Experience has taught us that breeding cows should begin in April and perhaps go into May. Any later leaves open the possibility of calves being born in the Spring thaw, which has proven to be disastrous in the past due to weather conditions at that time. With hard experience behind us, we strive to complete the breeding with successful pregnancies early on.

The breeding is done in two ways:

The first is the ‘natural’ method of bulls mating with cows. The boys, alongside staff, herd the cows into one of our corrals. After that, a bull is put into the same corral and nature is left to herself.

The second method is artificial insemination. This process has more to it than the natural method. Beginning with a section called “bull semen testing” and running to actual insemination of the cows, it is quite an amazing, if not somewhat repulsive, process to ‘city boys’ like myself.

While the cattle-breeding goes on, the Ranch starts preparing for field work. We begin breaking ground for farming seed on our land. We do not buy feed for our 500 head of cattle. We raise our own feed every year and do so proudly.

Recently, the Ranch expanded upon its seeding and crop produce. We have undertaken a San Foin (literally meaning ‘holy hay’) seed project that provides ranchers throughout the United States with a product that is both good for cattle and resistant to certain types of insects.

By the beginning of May, the branding season starts. This is the season looked forward to by the veteran boys in our program. The calves born during the calving season are rounded up, herded and lassoed. From there, the boys and staff take individual calves, hold them down and brand them with the Mount Carmel Ranch insignia. This ensures that our ownership of the calf remains if it was ever to be lost.

About the time that all the Spring work is done, Summer comes upon the ranch and with it, the appropriate work called “The Summer Pasture.”

The Summer pasture is where a lot of our cowboying work is done. We officially open up our ‘Cow-Camp’ program. The boys move up to our cabin on the Beartooth Mountains and move cows every 30 days to different sections of the grazing areas. It is a very involved process wherein cattle are doctored (if needed) by the boys with professionals, maintain water lines, mend fences and overall caring for cattle.

The boys themselves are usually rotated on an 8-day basis between ‘the Cabin’ and the Ranch as there is work on the Ranch to be done as well. Farming, irrigating and raising the crops await the boys and so they are kept quite busy.

By the time the summer is over, a lot of hard work has been done but there is no rest for the weary. The Fall comes upon us and with it the process known as “The Harvest.”

Before the cows come home (like the expression), a race starts. There are local laws that restrict the time limit that local ranchers have for letting their cattle graze and these times change every year. For 2008, ranchers and their cattle must be out some time between the 30th of October to November 15th. On average, our cows are ready to come home by the time 9/10ths of the Harvest is done.

Some of the calves from the calving season are sold during the month of November. They are sold in November because that is the time when the calves reach the projected weight for selling.

Upon the return of the boys and staff, the Ranch settles in for the Winter.

Winter runs roughly from December to April. In the beginning of the season, the irrigation water is turned off and the process of Winter begins. Boys and staff start preparations for the upcoming calving season. They feed the cattle with the feed taken in the Harvest and start sorting the cows into different pens. In essence, all that they do is feed the cattle and help the cows and heifers give birth.

It is about the beginning of January that the first calf is born. Calves continue to be born until the beginning of May. Boys and staff brave the cold weather every hour to check the cows to see if they are in distress. This schedule of going out every hour changes as the weeks go by and the weather warms up, making it not so imperative to go out continuously. By the time the last calf is born, the Spring is upon the Ranch and the yearly cycle begins all over again.

During the various seasons and cycles, our other programs are in full effect. There is the Breakthrough Parenting course with Mr. and Mrs. Tom and Susan George, Academics with Mr. Larry Ley and Counseling (both individual and group sessions) with the boys with Mrs. Penny Gifford. The times and arrangements of our programs may vary in accordance with the workload being done (much to Mr. Larry’s consternation as he keeps the boys’ coursework on track with all the various farm activities).

The work on the Ranch is never done and it is this ‘never-ending’ motif that provides much strength to our programs. The boys are kept busy and learn important things about life and themselves. This forces the boys to let go of the selfishness that they have engrained in themselves and learn to serve others. Serving others is a powerful way the boys learn to unfold their minds as God created them.

There are some important elements that we have discovered to be very effective in helping the boys to unfold their potential.

First and foremost, we place an emphasis upon the spiritual aspect of the boys’ lives. Our founders, Michaeleen and Gerald Schneider, are Catholics and they have incorporated various elements of the Catholic tradition into our program.

Though we define ourselves as a Ranch in the Catholic Tradition, we do not force anyone to accept Catholicism. There are no ‘forced conversions’ as the expression goes but we do expect boys to be respectful of religion and interiorly participate to some degree.

Another important element to our program is the continuous life and death situation that faces the boys at every turn and every day of ranch life.

The calving season is a great example of life and death situations. If a calf dies due to neglect on a boy or boys’ watch, the thought of that life having died due to neglect weighs heavily upon the conscience. Steadily, boys will learn to care for a creature other than himself, thus drawing him out of the selfish attitude instilled in him.

All in all, our program is very unique with how the seasons, work and prayer come together to unfold the boy’s mind as God created it.

I think that should do it for this particular entry. It may be updated as time goes on so check back periodically.

Until next entry, I remain your faithful MT.C.Y.R. blogger.

-MTC, KJS