RS - Ranching Systems

RS 306  Livestock Management & Human Resources in Ranching Systems: 1 Credits (1 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: RS 398. (F) This course will analyze different strategies for livestock production and management within a ranching system. Students will also learn best management practices for human resources and conflict resolution in ranching systems. Major topics include: human resource challenges, animal nutrition and genetics, ethical livestock production, conflict resolution, and decision making within a ranching system. Offered fall

RS 316  Forage Management and Natural Resource Stewardship in Ranching Systems: 1 Credits (1 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: RS 398. (Sp) This course will analyze different strategies for forage inventory and management within a ranching system. Students will also learn the importance of wildlife and natural resource management in ranching systems along with the importance of conservation on private lands. Major topics include: forage inventory, losses to forage (drought, wildfire, grasshoppers, etc.), wildlife forage needs, wildlife / livestock interactions, and conservation of natural resources within a ranching system. Offered spring

RS 398  Ranching Systems Livestock & Forage Internship: 1 Credits (1 Other)

PREREQUISITE: ANSC 202. (Su) Summer internship on a working ranch with emphasis on livestock production and forage management. Learn to match forage resources with animal nutritional needs. Focus on production agriculture, rangeland ecology and management, forage production, conservation, ranch planning, decision making and enterprise budgeting. Offered summer

RS 406  Finances and Decision Making in Ranching Systems: 1 Credits (1 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: RS 498. (F) This course will analyze different strategies for financial tracking and budget management within a ranching system. Students will create a break-even analysis for the host ranch. Students will identify a challenge to the ranching industry and assist with planning an annual symposium and seminar series for other students and the ranching community. Major topics include: economic indicators, record keeping, planning, and decision making within a ranching system. Offered fall

RS 416  Systems Thinking for Ranches: 2 Credits (2 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: RS 498. (Sp) This course will explore the theory and process of systems thinking and how it can be applied to ranching systems. Students will gain experience identifying issues on ranches, distilling them into the basics for analysis, and understanding the interrelations of seemingly separate functions. The course will focus on common archetypes found in ranching systems and ways to intervene in these archetypes to improve land health, livestock performance, economic returns and overall ranch sustainability. Offered spring

RS 498  Ranching Systems Finances and Planning Internship: 1 Credits (1 Other)

PREREQUISITE: RS 398, RS 306, RS 316. (Su) Summer internship on a working ranch with emphasis on economics and enterprise level planning. Learn about identifying and tracking key economic indicators and how to conduct systems planning for ranches. Focus on production agriculture, rangeland ecology and management, forage production, conservation, ranch planning, decision making, economic indicators, and enterprise budgeting. Offered summer