Coast-to-Coast Connections
Talon internships provide learning and lifelong resources for the next generation.
September 28, 2026
For Californian Lucy Flynn and Oregon native Allen Hill, eastern cattle production could hardly be more different from that at their home ranches. However, that didn’t stop the Talon interns from quickly finding take-home practices.
“They rotationally graze here, which is something I haven’t had the opportunity to learn,” says Flynn. The 22-year-old was matched with historic Audley Farm, a purebred Angus and Thoroughbred breeding and training operation at Berryville, Va.
“My family doesn’t do rotational grazing, partly because of how our seasons are,” she says, “but I’ve learned about it, grass types, how to maintain your grass and really get it to its highest level of growth.”
Ditto for Hill, who says the practice is definitely something he could institute at home. Hill was matched with Yon Family Farms, Ridge Spring, S.C.
Through the Angus Foundation’s Angus/Talon Youth Educational Learning Program, college students are paired with registered Angus operations across the country, creating opportunities to gain hands-on experience while building relationships with breeders.
Ripe for learning
For Flynn, a May graduate of the University of Wyoming, rotational grazing was just the tip of her learning experiences.
“One big thing I’ve learned about is nutrition for cattle,” she says, noting that’s whether you’re talking weaned calves, young bulls and replacement heifers or finishing steers. “It’s been cool to see the different feeds they use and how the rations change between each group of cattle. I haven’t had the opportunity to experience that before.”
Lucy Flynn says rotational grazing is one of the main management practices she’s learned while an Angus/Talon intern at Audley Farm in Berryville, Va.
Audley Farm’s retail enterprise gave Flynn opportunity to work with customers.
Flynn says she has learned much about the different nutrient requirements of weaned calves, young bulls, replacement heifers and finishing steers.
“I’ve also learned a lot about tractors,” she continues. “Now I can drive just about all the tractors here.”
Artificial insemination (AI) and embryo transfer (ET) were also on the list, Flynn says. “My dad can AI, and we’ve done it on a few groups of cows, but not as much as they do here. I got to AI for the first time here.”
Through Audley Farm’s retail beef enterprise, Flynn also had the chance to work with the opposite end of the cattle life cycle.
“The farm stand is here, and they have a truck they take to the farmers’ market,” she explains. “I’ve gotten to see a lot of the different cuts and work with customers.”
Selection intensity
Hill has been in the middle, literally, of sorting cattle at the Yons’.
“The Yons are so critical on building cattle essentially from the ground up,” he says. “They start from the feet and work up, analyzing and studying hard. They want to make sure it works for them, and they want to make sure it works for you. What doesn’t work for them probably isn’t going to work for you.”
Talon intern Allen Hill was paired with Yon Family Farms in Ridge Spring, S.C.
A senior at West Texas A&M University, Hill already has a small Angus herd of his own and takes note of the Yons’ reputation.
“They are building such a strong reputation, and such a good one at the same time,” he says. “They are just such good, upstanding people. Most people in this industry are, but especially the Yons. That’s definitely what I can take back from them.”
Host perspective
Hosting Hill worked for the Yons, too.
“Because the Angus Foundation vets them, these kids are the best of the best in our industry,” says Drake Yon. “They have the knowledge of all the different participating ranches, what their niches are and what they’re good at, and they can match these really talented young people with those ranches based on the young folks’ interests. Plus, they get to see a new part of the world.”
Talon interns get practical, hands-on experiences to build their technical skills, as well as their passion for the industry.
Drake Yon says Allen Hill has an eye for cattle. Hill was one of 12 students paired with Angus ranches this past summer through the Angus/Talon Youth Educational Learning Program.
Drake adds: “We have been supportive of the program from the beginning because it’s just a really good idea, and it makes a lot of sense.”
While Hill is only their second Talon intern, Yon says their operation has been hosting interns as long as they have been in business. Drake’s parents, Kevin and Lydia Yon, started the Angus operation in 1996.
“Our experience with the two Talon interns is that they both had the background at home, they grew up around cattle, and they’re able to do something when they get here,” Drake says. “Our first Talon intern was last summer — Jason Lopez from California. He was really good. I think he had a good experience, and we had a good experience.”
“Allen has been especially helpful so far,” Drake says. “We do a ton of cow sorting over the summer, where we’re sorting these cows into calving groups after we’ve weaned babies, picking out sale cows, and doing a whole bunch of moving around and evaluating cattle. Allen’s good at picking up on a structural issue or a limp, or an udder problem. He’s got a good set of eyes for cattle, which has been helpful. That is hard to teach; it is something you have to do for a while. As far as interns go, he’s been as good as we’ve had, as far as being able to pick up a problem with a cow. He’s got a knack for it.”
At the first of the summer, the Yons were also looking forward to getting Hill on their horses.
“He’s been on a horse as long as he’s been walking,” says Yon. “We don’t ride our horses like we should.”
At Audley Farm, Flynn, whose passion is competing in rodeos, only got to ride once, but it was because she filled a much-needed spot on the cattle and hay crew.
“All in all, it’s been a really, really, really good program,” says Matthew Deacon, farm manager. “It has worked great for us. It always adds a little extra help in the summer when we need it, so it’s a win-win for everybody.”
Flynn is the sixth Talon intern for the Virginia operation. She agrees with Deacon on it being a win-win.
Flynn said she wasn’t looking for an internship when she happened across this one.
Audley Farm’s Matthew Deacon says the Talon internships work out well for the purebred operation.
“I’m so glad I got this opportunity and got to work on a different scale operation,” she says, encouraging others to apply and take the opportunity if they have the chance.
After their summer of on-the-job training, Flynn and Hill both plan to continue their formal education.
Flynn will stay at the University of Wyoming, where she’ll add a master’s of business administration (MBA) to her undergraduate degrees in ag communications and farm and ranch management. She’ll continue to compete with the university’s rodeo team. After that, she has her eye on working with her father on their commercial cow-calf operation, which also includes a growing registered Angus herd.
Hill will graduate in December with a degree in animal science, but he is also looking toward graduate school, either in beef cattle management or ruminant nutrition. As for his Talon experience, it was mission accomplished.
“I’ve seen lots of kids gain lots of good experience through it and gain industry and real-world connections,” he says. “I’ve always wanted to come to a large seedstock operation and see the ins and outs, how to build a strong reputation and a good customer base. I wanted to learn what it takes to be successful in running such a large-scale operation. That’s my goal, to have a lifelong career in the Angus industry.”
Editor’s note: Becky Mills is a freelance writer and cattlewoman from Cuthbert, Ga.
Talon internships are an Angus breeder’s legacy
As part of the Angus Foundation’s 2026 Angus/Talon Youth Educational Learning Program, this past summer, 12 students paired with Angus ranches across the United States to expand their knowledge of the cattle industry.
The program’s internships are the legacy of the late Camron “Cam” Cooper of The Talon Ranch, Twin Bridges, Mont. Cooper established the Angus/Talon Youth Educational Learning Program Endowment Fund in 2009 to offer educational experiences for undergraduate students pursuing agricultural degrees.
“The Talon internship empowers students with practical, hands-on experience that not only builds their technical skills, but also deepens their passion for the cattle industry,” says Jimmy Stickley, donor coordinator for the Angus Foundation. “By working alongside respected Angus breeders, interns gain invaluable insights into ranch management, genetics and animal health, preparing them for successful careers.”
College sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students under the age of 25 who are majoring in ag-related subjects are eligible. Purebred Angus operations who’d like to host a Talon intern are also invited to apply. For more information, see: https://www.angus.org/foundation/our-mission/youth/talon-youth.
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