Mihail Kennedy, our Production Manager grew up in the restaurant business in Billings, Montana. From a young age he was interested in where food came from and spent a great deal of time with a local ranch family that sold beef to his parents’ restaurant.  In high school he worked on this ranch doing odd jobs, fencing, and whatever else he was asked to do. In college he worked at ZooMontana while completing his degree in environmental studies and this is where he fell in love with ecology.  After graduation he went on to work as the environmental restoration manager for Montana Audubon, charged with restoring an old gravel mine to various native ecosystems. As rewarding as the work was for Audubon, his restaurant background was still calling.  At some point it became clear to him that the best use of his restaurant and ecology backgrounds was in raising food and when the opportunity to work at B Bar arose, he jumped at the chance. Mihail approaches agriculture with his ecology background and believes that without a healthy functioning ecosystem, you can’t raise high quality food. 

Throughout the last nine years he’s been able to learn a great deal about regenerative agriculture and see the results of these processes as he manages the day to day physical operation of the ranch. He’s always learning and is excited to try new things even if they seem a bit daunting at first.  A natural educator, he’s always looking for opportunities to teach the regenerative practices he is working on. Ecosystems are in a constant state of flux and therefore one needs to be able to adapt their management to the present and future conditions.  Every day is a new puzzle.

Shea Kennedy grew up in Billings, Montana. Son to a chef, he learned that food was not only a necessity to live, but also a joy to be shared. Brother to an ecologist, he learned the importance of ecosystem health to the vigor of plants and animals. Through his education in the field of forestry at the University of Montana, Shea spent many years romping through the woods of Western Montana. This fostered the importance of natural cycles and their effect on the landscape. B Bar offered an opportunity to combine his knowledge and drive to improve the landscape. Shea can most often be found in the field. Wind, more wind, or shine, he tends to the cattle, irrigates the land, and performs a variety of other duties around the ranch.

Peter Feehan

Driving across the plains of eastern Montana on the way to other life opportunities, Peter thought, “But what if I want to be a rancher here instead?” Four years later, he did just that, returning to work on a number of different cattle ranches across the southern part of the state before ending up here at B Bar.

Before working with cattle, Peter worked with vegetables. He enjoys caring for animals and being surrounding by grass, whether it’s blowing in the wind, covered in snow, or growing tall in the spring. But more than just enjoying the labor and sensory pleasures of ranching, Peter believes wholeheartedly in a life centered around agriculture. To be the source of his own food, to be a part of the passing of days and seasons, to be surrounded by people who care about each other and where they live: these are the values around which Peter orients himself and his work at B Bar Ranch.

Alex Bejarano

Alex came to us via Quivira’s apprenticeship program. Born a New York City girl, she’s lived a variety of places across the world before landing here. Her connection to agriculture first began in Australia where she worked on a dairy farm. Her interest in travel and land use drove her to get a degree in Global Studies: Economics, Trade, and Development with minors in Environmental Studies and Geography from UNC-Chapel Hill. She has been using her data analytics, computer, and business skills to start a deep dive into the data and sales side of agriculture.

Chelsey Moe

Chelsey also came to us through the apprenticeship program. Originally from North Dakota, she earned a degree in Recreation and Tourism before setting out to work on dude ranches across the west. Looking for a deeper connection to agriculture Chelsey joined our team. This season she has worked across the entire ranch and has been in charge of one of our herds as she gains experience with grazing management.

Thank you

To both Alex Bejarano and Chelsey Moe for their contributions this season. We are very proud of the hard work they put into this apprenticeship and the progress they both made in regenerative ranching. We wish them all the best in their next steps.

If you are interested in being part of our next apprentice group, applications will be open on the Quivira website through December 15th!