Stocks dogs ‘employee of the year’ around the farm and ranch

Kristen Sindelar
Dec 27, 2024
Dec 27, 2024

Stock dog 1.JPG — Stock dogs can be a valuable farmhand when sorting or gathering livestock.
Midwest Messenger photo by Kristen Sindelar

Ask any employer these days about filling vacant positions, and they will likely tell you that “good help is hard to find,” especially in agriculture. Securing a dependable farmhand is as rare as finding a needle in a haystack.

Stock dog 3.JPG — Lad pushes cattle through the obstacle course under the direction of Jeff Christiansen from Texas. Christiansen competed with multiple dogs at the Nebraska State Fair Cattle Dog Trials this past summer.
Midwest Messenger photo by Kristen Sindelar

Stock dog 2.jpg — Tim Naasz of Platte, S.D., directs his border collie, Harvey, to guide the cattle at the Nebraska State Fair Cattle Dog Trials last summer.
Midwest Messenger photo by Kristen Sindelar

Stock dog 4.JPG — Bob Wagner and Jan Gillespie-Wagner utilize Border Collies on their ranch in Colorado and have become highly involved in stock dog trials. Swoop is just one of their well-trained border collies.
Midwest Messenger photo by Kristen Sindelar

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Reporter Kristen Sindelar has loved agriculture her entire life, coming from a diversified farm with three generations working side-by-side in northeastern Nebraska. Reach her at Kristen.Sindelar@midwestmessenger.com.