Are there cowboys in montana

Call or email us and we will be pleased to answer any questions and help you decide which ranch is right for you. Set in the grassy foothills of the Rocky Mountains this small family owned and run guest ranch is great for all ages and abilities. This is a beautiful place to enjoy riding over the ranch trying your hand at some cattle work and learning more about life as a Montana rancher.

Close to Yellowstone National Park this ranch is surrounded but natural beauty. Nine Quarter Circle Ranch is suitable for all the family no matter the riding experience. The younger generations are increasingly moving off the land, making rural workforces harder to find.

In the last decade, the trend is for larger Montana ranches and farms to grow into mega-operations, acquiring more land due to economic necessity. To justify and afford the modernized equipment required for production, operations must grow.

Montana was originally a homesteader state, with acre tracts being the norm granted to a qualified homesteader. In more urban and populated areas, the majority of homesteader tracts have been subdivided.

Zoning laws for land sub-division vary from county-to-county and are increasingly driven by water rights. Twenty acres is where the line is drawn as a or-more-acre parcel qualifies the land as being agricultural, with property tax benefits. There are numerous working ranches that have set up facilities and activities for paying guests to experience herding cows, riding horses, driving a tractor, and even weeding a vegetable garden. We have plenty of listings for ranches for sale in Montana.

Montana is the last best place, and being a cowboy is ingrained in American culture. As more and more people flock to Montana and purchase a farm or ranch, the flavor of ranching will change.

But, technically, farm and ranches are qualified by animals and crops, not acreage. You, too, can be a cowboy. Since , my family and I have enjoyed life in Montana.

Throughout my life, there are constants: loving my family, friends, and community, enjoying trekking to remote places in the world, being involved in non-profits, gardening, and always cooking. Most of my clients end up at my house, enjoying fine wine and dining on organic vegetables straight from the garden, eggs from our chickens, and sunsets that rival any in the world.

In my opinion, there is no place better than Bozeman, Montana. The setting was stunning. The ranch, with an old historic barn and a modern contemporary log lodge, sat smack in the middle of mountain country—Bridger and Sheep and Crazy Mountains to the north and the Absaroka Mountain Range to the south. Yellowstone River flew through the northern edge of the massive property, but scenic Mission Creek banked with snow and ice gurgled right beside the lodge.

A worn pair of cowboy boots sat next to the front door. Inside, I settled into my inviting guestroom, a cool mix of rough-hewn wood, worn leather chaps and modern decor. But I happily captured a young family living their dream of life on a ranch.

Cowboy Austin and his cowgirl wife, Jaimie, also had two small children at home. They spent many hours checking, herding, feeding and caring for the cattle being raised for tender, pasture-fed, all natural, certified Black Angus beef.

This morning was particularly blustery and cold, with temps dipping to F degrees. Yet Austin and Jaimie trailered their horses to the pasture and were quick to jump on the horses to check on their cattle. Both are experienced riders and were natural on horseback. They rode around the perimeter of the pasture gathering the head of cattle to check on their well-being. The beef they raise never leave the ranch. They graze on pastures most of the year, moving to new pastures—with a little coaxing by them and their border collies—to greener pastures on the sprawling land.

Passionate about the ranching lifestyle and raising high quality, antibiotic-free meat, Jaimie began selling pork and beef through her Cowgirl Meat Company which she started up in Raised with love. Beef cattle ranching on a Montana farm during winter. Cattle stay outdoors all year. On this snowy, blizzardy day, they were huddled under trees seeking trees for shelter from the wind and cold.

To escape the cold for a bit, Jaimie and Austin agreed to some portraits in their barns. And cowboy Austin, with his sidekick border collie, inside the historic dairy barn that once provided the milk for Yellowstone National Park lodges. Ranchers seem to be a close-knit bunch despite the distances between them.

They share responsibilities and help each other on big work days. And also get together socially. One day, their friends with two children came to spend the day from a neighboring ranch 50 miles away. Being ingrained in that cowboy cowgirl culture—of course they trailered and brought their own horses!

Allison with her Flea Bitten Gray Quarter horse. The barn provides a safe sheltered place for kids to learn about riding and interacting with horses. Just look at this cowgirl fly!

It was so snowy, that the Absaroka peaks that rise sharply behind Austin are not visible in these shots. And never materialized before my eyes the rest of the week.

The horses were sure-footed despite the snow. The group was happy to pose for a group shot before they galloped home to spend some time with their kiddos around a campfire.