Lana Reynolds came by her nickname “the cow whisperer” the honest way– through years of hard work and learning bovine behavior.
Reynolds is a multigenerational ranch hand who considers it a privilege to carry on this cowhand legacy. Although she was born in California, she spent her childhood in Rapid City, South Dakota, seeing how life could be lived alongside four legged friends. Her grandfather was the type of man who was more often horseback than he was on foot. She never forgot these lessons and found the desire to take care of animals even after a stint in the city, she heard the ranch world still calling and soon returned to the industry full time.
Her days are currently spent on a small feedlot with around 500 calves. Despite this more intimate setting, she is no stranger to the masses, and previously served on a 45,000 head feedlot processing 1,000 head a day.
Like any good ranch hand, Lana does a little bit of everything. Some days are spent banding bulls, doing implants, or calving, whereas others are long hours of driving skid steers, tending to the hay ground, and of course the endless task of checking water. She works steadily and without complaint and is quick to find the best attributes in even trying mounts. Since finding herself with different outfits, Lana rides the string on hand, and speaks of surefooted horses who would balk and buck but give you their heart and handy read on a cow. While Lana has worked on outfits that utilized ATVs, she knows firsthand the importance of working cattle horseback and how it is often the only option. While working on Ken Wilson’s outfit in Gordon, Nebraska, the terrain was too difficult for wheeled vehicles to navigate, and horses allowed the ranch hands like herself to reach the strays.
Being a woman in a world dominated by men is not easy, and she has worked hard to gain respect through always being honest about her skills and experience. She recognizes the complementary aspect that men and women can bring to a team when working alongside each other. She has seen that women tend to be better at calving and record keeping, whereas men are often better at the big picture aspects of the operation. Her attitude has contributed to her success, and is centered around taking things as they come. When you’re doing implants or banding bulls, you have to be ready for the unexpected, and Lana is always listening and watching for those moments.
While she acknowledges the work is hard and the days long, she speaks of the importance of her role in keeping the country provided with beef on the table. Beyond this desire to support the food system, she simply loves the reciprocity that comes from taking care of animals. Ranchers take care of them and they take care of the ranchers family and the public by keeping everyone fed. They make good horses and raise strong people.
Her appreciation of each creature’s contribution may well be the foundation for her ability to guide even the most difficult cattle. The ornery, rank, stand offs no one wants to mess with–these are the ones she can bring back into the fold without any fuss or weight loss.
Reynolds hopes youth will develop an interest in the industry and is open to sharing her knowledge with those just starting out. Her first piece of advice is just helping folks understand that ranch work is not all riding. Many of her days are spent on the ground doing other tasks to keep the animals healthy and the operation running smoothly.
While a lot of the work can be taught to a willing individual, honesty with a ranch you’re signing on to is important–if you don’t have experience, go ahead and admit it before it leads to a dangerous situation for you, the other hands, or the animals.
It is this honesty, hard work, and grit that motivates ranch hands like Lana Reynolds to take the best possible care of cattle.
We owe Lana and all folks in the agriculture industry our gratitude.
