Humid air engulfs the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Eager to tackle the day’s work, Bryan Farkas pours out mineral as the welcomed summer rain showers around him. Though his internship will only be a drop in the bucket compared to the lifetime of lessons ahead of him, the knowledge gained during his summer could fill an ocean. 

His internship mentors, Matthew Deacon and Turner Kobayashi, watch over him with pride — the boy who arrived at Audley Farm green and timid grew into an eager and inquisitive young man. 

The vision of the Angus/Talon Youth Educational Learning Program Internship stemmed from Camron “Cam” Cooper of Talon Ranch, who loved Angus cattle and believed in educating young people to become leaders of the beef industry. In 2009 she created the Angus/Talon Youth Education Learning Program Endowment Fund to allow holistic educational experiences. 

The program serves as a mutually beneficial opportunity. It allows Farkas to develop his skills in a hands-on learning environment, expand his horizons and prepare for a career. Simultaneously, it allows Deacon, Kobayashi and Audley Farm as a whole to host the future of the industry, which is a primary reason they’ve served as a host ranch for four years running. 

“We find it very rewarding to be able to pay it forward. It’s all about helping each other and teaching each other,” beamed Kobayashi, general manager of Audley Farm. “That’s exactly what the Talon program is all about — bringing awareness and experience to these young people.”

Seeking exposure

Though his father practices as a successful veterinarian, Farkas wants to blaze his own path in the agricultural industry. 

His curiosity led him to tag along one day with a classmate to help with barn chores. He soon learned his friend sought support from the USDA’s suite of new farmer programs to start a herd.

“When I asked my buddy about his cattle operation, I asked how he started and what steps he took to get the ball rolling,” Farkas explained. “He told me he went to the local USDA office and asked for a flyer about starting a farmer’s loan.”

Farkas applied, secured the loan and set out to start his cow herd, striking gold when he found a local herd dispersing. 

“The first step after I got the money was to look for some good cattle to start building the foundation for my herd,” he says. “I was lucky enough to find a guy that was going into retirement, so he had good cows he was really persistent on getting rid of.”

Farkas, a soon-to-be graduate of Western Illinois University, yearned to find a way to complement his degree in agricultural sciences and interest in being a cattleman with an internship. Dressed in his finest wears, he browsed his school’s career fair for options — the American Angus Association fit the bill. 

“It was actually the only cattle-related career there that day,” Farkas says. “I approached them, asked if they had any internships available, and they pointed me towards the Talon internship.”

Seeking advice

Deacon is no stranger to the cattle business, having grown up on a diversified commercial cow-calf operation with extensive education in animal science and reproductive physiology from West Virginia University. However, his position as farm manager of Audley Farm put him in a mentor role, something he sometimes feels his age underqualifies him to do. 

“In this business, we say it’s an old man’s game,” Deacon says. “I feel a lot of pressure going out and interacting with people that are 20 to 25 years older than me; but being willing to ask questions, being willing to listen to what those guys say — they’ve got a lot of knowledge.” 

Still, he graciously accepts the role and seeks advice to pass on and guide the next generation. 

“To coach up and share ideas I’ve learned from other people, pass that on to younger people and get them interested in staying in the Angus business is really important,” Deacon says. 

He hopes to resonate with others on the fence about serving as a Talon host ranch. 

“We were a little nervous the first time we did it — to teach, train and work with these interns,” Deacon shares, but he reassures that forming the minds of the future far outweighs any uneasiness.

“I encourage other farms to take the time to make that impact in someone’s life,” Deacon says. “Knowing you can impact somebody like Bryan and knowing we can give the resources and the relationship to start building, as a host, is really important.”

He compliments Talon interns on their work ethic, and shares how that affected the quality of effort. 

“Some of the earlier interns we had were part of a college requisite, and they just did it to check the box,” Deacon says. “The Talon interns really have a passion for the Angus breed, and they’ve also got bigger goals in mind.”

Kobayashi echoed Deacon’s thoughts, adding that hosting and watching Talon interns grow rejuvenates one’s love for the cattle business, reinforcing the mutual benefit. 

“They come in, they’re wide-eyed and they’re eager — they’re anxious to learn,” Kobayashi says. “You see them work with our team and our guys get a chance to teach them. It’s rewarding on both ends.”

Seeking growth

As the spring semester closed, Farkas pointed his Toyota toward Audley Farm in Berryville, Va. Though overwhelmed with anxiety, he embarked on his internship with an open mind, which he advises future Talon interns to do as well.

“I go into big things like this kind of nervous, kind of anxious, a little bit scared,” Farkas says. “Just try and shake off the nervousness and just be optimistic — know you’re going to leave that place with a lot more than you came with.”

Deacon compliments Farkas’ growth during his internship, noting his openness provided the freedom to tailor his internship. 

Beaming with pride, Deacon explains, “He’s really grown a lot. He was always asking a lot of questions — wanting to learn more.”

Farkas described the Audley team’s willingness to answer questions without shame and fostering an environment of open communication and genuine conversations. 

“I’ve gained a lifelong friendship with all of these guys,” Farkas says with heartfelt gratitude. “I’ve been able to ask them deep questions, informational questions, all sorts of questions; and they’ve answered without any hesitation or any bigotry.”

Seeking the future

Kobayashi urges both potential Talon host ranches and potential Talon interns to lean into the discomforts.

“It can be challenging, but it’s also very exciting and very meaningful to you,” he says. “That’s how you grow, when you push yourself outside your comfort zone. It’s the complete experience.”  

In agreement, Farkas promises the internship’s accessibility to people from any background, both those with extensive cattle knowledge and those like him, with minimal. 

“I know there’s more people out there just like me and I know they would get the same, if not more, out of [the internship],” he says. “I learned way more than I could with courses that don’t give you the real-life situations I’ve gotten here.”

Another wave of rain patters against the barn’s roof as Kobayashi reflects on the overarching theme of the Talon internship program. 

He quotes Chinese philosopher, Xun Kuang, saying, “Tell me and I forget; teach me and I may remember; involve me and I learn.” 

Editor’s note: Briley Richard is a freelance writer from El Dorado, Kan.