When Monica Thornburg graduated from Northwest Missouri State in the spring of 2020, things looked pretty bleak. A global pandemic had slowed the job market, and the Ag Science & Agriculture Communications student was struggling to find a job. But then, an intriguing job post on Ranch World Ads gave Monica the chance to take on a new frontier.
“I saw a job posting for a Ranch Hand at Mugrage Hay & Cattle in Delta Junction, Alaska,” explained Monica. “I didn’t even know there was agriculture in Alaska.” When she was offered the job, Monica packed up, and left the lower 48 to explore a whole new world. After months of being a ranch hand, she was presented with an opportunity by Scott Mugrage, owner of the ranch where she worked: create the Great Alaskan Cattle Drive.
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Monica jumped at the chance to create something new, spending last summer mapping routes and creating the trail for the Great Alaska Cattle Drive. She also hosted her first guests who were able to experience and explore Alaskan agriculture in a whole new way. “This week-long experience allows guests to see all the agriculture Alaska has to offer while serving as a way to advocate for agriculture and to drive change,” explained Monica. Through the project, Monica is able to share the need for agriculture infrastructure such as meat processing plants, railroad development, and grain markets, as well as agriculture policy change. By horseback, guests experience the wide variety of agriculture the Delta Junction area has to offer: hay and barley production, wild bison, grain-fed cattle, barley flour mill and the only dairy in Alaska. The drive covers over 200 miles of ground.
