28 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN September 2026 Hazy Delzer attended the ranch practicum as part of her graduate school studies; however, she had heard of it long before her days in the classroom. Her parents, Jonathan and Trenda Nielson of Ellsworth, were in the first class of the ranch practicum in 1999. Delzer’s brother, Tyler Nielson, and her husband, Eric Delzer, have also attended the practicum. “I was excited to be a part of the practicum. I’ve always loved learning things,” Delzer says. “I knew my mom and dad got a lot out of it and really valued what they learned, and they were excited for me to take it. When I got home, I told my husband and brother they both needed to go take it because it was just so valuable.” “This is our 26th session of the ranch practicum,” Walz says. “We’re starting to see multiple generations coming through the practicum. The current participants’ parents may have gone through it 20 years ago, and some even come back to take it with their kids to see what changes there have been, what the new research was. So that is really fun.” The practicum accepts up to 35 participants each year, with most years averaging 20 to 25 participants. Since its inception, there have been more than 700 participants. There is no cookie-cutter mold for the ranch practicum participants. It is available for credit hours through UNL, so there are usually some college students. Ranch managers, ranchers and even absentee landowners have taken the practicum in an effort to better understand how it all works. Even professionals in the ag industry such as ag lenders and veterinarians have taken the class in an effort to better serve the industry. The lineup of instructors is second to none, with a knowledge base that is as broad as it is deep. In addition to Walz, Jerry Volesky is on staff as the range and forage specialist; Jay Parsons is the ag economics specialist; Karla Wilke is the cowcalf stocker management specialist; Rick Funston is the beef reproductive specialist; and T.L. Meyer is a livestock systems educator. Additionally, they have a variety of educators and specialists present throughout the year. One of those is Brent Plugge, a livestock systems educator who works specifically with the ranch practicum alumni group and was one of the program’s founding members with Volesky. Throughout the eight days of instruction, participants develop plant-identification skills while determining range conditions and monitoring wildlife habitat. They also learn to formulate grazing strategies based on livestock production objectives and natural resource management, and identify the grazing system that will best accomplish those goals. Participants also spend time evaluating live animals to better understand body condition scores, and they discover how meadow and range forage meet animals’ requirements for both maintenance and growth. “The practicum covers so much that it’s really hard to pinpoint one specific thing that was the most impactful,” Delzer says. “I really appreciated the amount of time spent body condition scoring cows. That’s one of those things that you really just have to do a lot to get good at it, so that was very helpful. They give you a lot of opportunities to practice, and it’s not just you looking at your own cows and hoping you’re seeing them right. They guide you by letting you know if there’s something you’re missing or if you’re a little off. And that has been super helpful on the ranch.” Practicum participants get hands-on experience through one growing season and production cycle. The course begins in June and runs through January. Photo courtesy of Karlie Gerlach. NEBRASKA RANCH PRACTICUM CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26 CONTINUED ON PAGE 30 The lineup of instructors is second to none, with a knowledge base that is as broad as it is deep.
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