Feedlots/Ranches in Nebraska (Ogallala, Ord: wedding, schools, college)

[farmgirl1213]

My husband and I currently live in SE Indiana but are looking to relocate to the Nebraska area within the next year. He is considering a job on a ranch or feedlot and shoeing horses (he's currently a full-time horseshoer) and I am a kitchen designer, design wedding cakes and have a Degree in computers. What are the bigger feedlots in Nebraska and where are they located? I am open to a career change, but where are the best places to look for employement in those fields. Are there websites or online newspapers to look in? We are planning to visit the area this fall to check it out. We want to stay away from the larger cities and be in a rural area, towns of about 5,000 people maybe in Central to western NE. Those of you who have horses........is there a farrier's association in the state? Thanks for any info you can give us.

[mattpoulsen]

You may look into Wheeler County. It has Foxly's (near Bartlett), which is an enormous feedlot. as well as Thunderbolt. But, in addition, it also has Pitzer's Horse Ranch (near Ericson). Pitzer's is one of the largest and most well known Horse ranches in the country. Your husband may be familiar with Pitzer's.

Bartlett and Ericson are the only two towns in Wheeler County and are about 15 miles apart. However, these towns are very small...just a few hundred people. But Ord, NE is just about 20 minutes to the southwest of Ericson. In addition, I would add that the Wheeler Central School System is an excellent small school system. In rural areas the schools seem to be really good or really bad and in this case it is really good. At one point they had the lowest dropout rate in the country and their average ACT scores blow away the state average. I would also add that nearly everyone goes onto college and many go on to postgraduate work as well.

[Gretchen B]

If your husband prefers herding on the range and shoeing horses over penning in a feedlot, you might want to look into the Haythorn Ranch north of Ogallala. Alot of cowboys want to work there because they do things the old-fashioned way. No motorized equipment - they hay using draft horses and threshers, etc. Branding time is the highlight, with the chuckwagon out on the range. Ogallala is about 5,000 pop and Arthur (to the north of the ranch) is about 100.