MAY, Idaho — Whenever they need help, Glenn and Caryl Elzinga turn to their seven daughters at Alderspring Ranch in central Idaho’s remote Pahsimeroi Valley.

Their efficient family members with a diverse skillset help move cattle, take turns living with the herd in summer to ward off wolves, package orders for their organic grass-fed beef, write blogs and maintain their website and social media.

The Elzingas market about 400 head annually through direct internet sales and natural food stores. The ranch encompasses 2,500 acres of deeded ground and 46,000 acres of grazing permits with the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service. Along with their daughters and three sons-in-law, they have five full-time ranch hands and several seasonal summer workers.

The daughters supervise the ranch’s summer internship program.

“We’re excited to have our largest summer intern crew ever — 19,” Glenn said. “They come from Canada and throughout the United States. Some have never been around agriculture. They want to learn more when they read our website about running a regenerative, profitable ranch with healthy soil, and fish-friendly irrigation with chinook salmon spawning on the ranch.”

The Elzingas provide lodging and meals.

“Although the interns don’t receive a salary, they benefit from us putting a horse under them, feeding them beef, and teaching them an agriculture of hope,” Glenn said.

Along with supervising interns, the daughters divide up ranch duties, depending on their interests, although everyone chips in where they are needed.

Melanie crew bosses the range riding crew, manages and trains horses, handles social media, and is a graphic designer and photographer.

Abigail shoots videos and manages cattle using adaptive grazing methods. She and her husband, Ethan Kelly, also raise pastured pork on the ranch.

Linnaea is a riding crew boss, marketing manager, photographer, graphic designer and author of their cooking blog, “Meathacker.”

Emily is the ranch information technology manager and does website coding and troubleshooting. She is studying computer science and physics at Idaho State University with a minor in biology.

Becky is a ranch hand, range rider, does irrigation and is studying art, music and biology at the University of Idaho.

Annie is a ranch hand, range crew boss, and is the quality control checker in the warehouse.

Maddy is a range crew boss, ranch hand, and raises sheep with her husband, Wesley.

She also processes order labels in the shipping warehouse, does odd jobs and helps with irrigation.

Wesley also crew bosses on the range along with being a solid ranch hand.

The Elzingas began shipping their organic grass-fed beef in 2005. They use regenerative grazing methods, rotating cows away from riparian areas and watering them on troughs interspersed throughout the range.

On their 70-square-mile summer range in the Salmon River Mountains, range riders live with the herd to protect them from wolves.

Glenn speaks at regenerative ag conferences and via podcasts, describing how they implement their holistic ranch practices and grazing techniques.

“Let’s face it, Caryl and I will be transitioning out of agriculture at some point,” he said. “I’m 62, and there will be a new generation who will be feeding people. Some of our daughters say they want to be that next generation. Some interns have earned ag degrees and others haven’t. But they all learn wellness and the interconnectedness of soil, land management and animal and human health.”