What are the responsibilities and job description for the Ranch Technician position at Turner Enterprises Inc.?
Employer: Turner Enterprises Management, LLC
Job Title: Ranch Technician
Location: Spikebox Ranch – Mullen, Nebraska
Type: Full-Time / Salary / Exempt / Benefits-Eligible
Housing: Yes
Spikebox Ranch is a 143,000-acre bison ranch located in the sandhills of Nebraska. We are seeking a motivated ranch technician to become a part of our team. This position is a unique blend of ranching, conservation, and living remotely. The Spikebox Ranch is a part of the largest and most progressive bison operation in the world where we are focused on soil health, innovative grazing practices, bison production, and conservation. This position will be focused primarily on low stress livestock handling, adaptive grazing with bison herds, range management, and infrastructure maintenance and development.
ABOUT THE POSITION
As a Ranch Technician, your primary duties will be centered around grazing and rangeland management, bison movement and processing, and infrastructure development and maintenance. You’ll assist in managing bison herds using adaptive grazing practices within a wet meadow complex and upland pastures. We move bison frequently, so this position requires a lot of time preparing pasture water and fence and moving animals. The ability and skills to use ATVs/UTVs to perform ranch work, including moving bison, is required.
A major focus of this role is enhancing soil and rangeland health through adaptive grazing practices. This includes setting up and managing temporary fencing, moving animals daily, and developing grazing plans tailored to specific management goals. The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong stockmanship skills, patience in training animals to temporary fencing, creativity and adaptability in grazing planning, and the ability to balance range management objectives with animal production goals.
You will also be responsible for:
- Operating and maintaining equipment, including farm machinery and construction equipment.
- Assisting in the preparation of pastures (fences, water systems, forage inventory) ahead of the grazing rotation and ranch-wide as needed.
- Moving/Handling bison in the pasture and corrals using low stress techniques on foot, ATV or UTV.
- Developing and maintaining fences, water sources (including windmills, solar units and stock tanks), corrals, ranch buildings, and other ranch infrastructure.
- Performing range monitoring and grazing planning as necessary and providing monthly reports to management.
- Using a welder, plasma cutter, cutting torch, and other shop equipment safely.
- Watching for fires during storms, suppressing wildfires and assisting with prescribed fires as necessary.
- Vaccinating livestock using syringes and hypodermic needles or other means.
- Participating in Ranch safety programs, including safe operation of vehicles, equipment, and ATVs/UTVs.
- Other duties as assigned.
What this isn’t:
- Working on horseback.
- A management or supervisory position
YOUR QUALIFICATIONS
Essential:
- A high school diploma or general education degree (GED).
- Experience in livestock care and low-stress animal handling.
- Experience operating heavy equipment and ATVs/UTVs.
- Basic computer skills, including preparation of reports and spreadsheets.
- This position requires operation of vehicles, and you’ll need to possess a valid driver’s license or be able to obtain one within 30 days of employment. Your driving record will need to meet the standards and requirements of the Company and the Company’s insurance provider.
- You’ll need to present documentation establishing both identity and employment authorization within three days of hire pursuant to federal law.
Preferred:
- Relevant bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Natural Resources or a related field.
- Five years’ experience in production agriculture.
YOUR QUALITIES
- Extreme Ownership
- Commitment to Mission and Team
- Range Management / Adaptive Grazing
- Stockmanship
- Initiative and adaptability
- Humility and ability to learn from others
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
The Company offers full time employees an elite benefits package, including medical dental and vision insurance, basic life insurance, short term disability, 401(k) plan with matching contributions, paid time off and paid holidays.
ACCOMMODATIONS
On-ranch, single-family housing with basic utilities (power, water, propane) will be provided subject to a Company Housing Agreement and Company policies.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS & WORK ENVIRONMENT
On a regular basis, you can expect to:
- Stand; sit; walk; move hands and fingers; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and talk or hear.
- Lift and/or move up to 100 pounds.
- Perform physical labor for extended periods of time.
- Operate ATV’s and UTV’s for extended periods of time.
Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
You will regularly be exposed to moving mechanical parts; outside weather conditions; extreme cold and extreme heat. You will frequently be exposed to high, precarious places and fumes or airborne particles. You will occasionally by exposed to toxic or caustic chemicals. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
The physical demands described above are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job, and the work environment characteristics are representative of those you may encounter while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Accommodation inquires must be made to the Company’s Human Resources Department for consideration.
Turner Enterprises Management, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a Smoke Free/Drug-Free Workplace.
For more information, visit www.tedturner.com.