Cowgirl Liv Visgirda Our New Volunteer/Intern

Cowgirl Liv Visgirda Movin the Herd

We have a new volunteer/intern. Liv Visgirda is here from California to learn more about ranching and sustainable agriculture. She is working on her Masters and studying wolf conservation, so the Double Circle Ranch with the Mexican Grey wolf and herded Texas Longhorns is a perfect fit with her education. She is seeing first hand – from the back of a cowpony – how we keep wolves away from our herd and avoid depredation.

Liv arrived right when we were gathering from a winter pasture and moving the cattle several miles to another pasture. The new pasture is slated for a prescribed burn to thin juniper encroachment this fall. So it needed grazed ASAP so the grass would have time to regrow for fire fuel by the burn dates.
So Liv has put a lot of saddle time in. But she also has helped roof a workshop. She can add using a nail gun and an impact driver to her resume. Today everyone is working to get the metal roof on the workshop before the afternoon winds pick up. No one can put 21-foot long tin on rafters in a 20+ mph wind.

Putting a Roof on the Ranch Shop Building

Once the wind starts and roofing stops, Liv will be helping do forage monitoring. Plus she will be keeping an eye out for the last elusive six head of Texas Longhorns in the pasture just used. It is no easy task to find six steers in about 10,000 acres on 2 pastures. It does help to have all colors of cattle. Sometimes the white or spotted steers are easier to see on far ridges.

So we are glad to have Liv’s help. She never complains and is always ready to pitch in, even with the not-so-fun chores like weeding the butterfly garden. Plus she works on her Masters in the evenings – definitely a high energy, motivated gal. Thanks Liv!!