The moment he shifted from 'me' to 'we'...
"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to...
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LEGACIES // An author's note
“The word ‘legacy’ resonated immediately. I scribbled it on top of the first outline I made for this, the Montana Farm Bureau...
Setting them up for success, every step of the way
From rancher to stocker to feeder, every cattle owner wants the same outcome. “We all want those calves to be as successful as they...
The extra miles at Mill Iron Triangle Ranch
Each heifer is unique, but the moment of triumph often sounds about the same. She spins around, nuzzles the wet calf, and lets out a low...
The trade-off
"So... what’s the trade-off?" I asked. "You give up a widely accepted, profitable practice to do a new thing. There must be sacrifice. Do...
American Farm Bureau // One-Line Legacies
Thank you for coming to my "One-Line Legacies" workshop at the 2019 American Farm Bureau Federation in New Orleans! Here is the one-page...
'Just' range cows for 'just' ranch people; just the right combination
“They’re just plain ol’ range cows.” Bob and Frances Dellit shared a good-hearted laugh at the idea of their 'plain ol' range cows' being...
It’s not forbidden fruit: Three ‘secrets’ to ranch profitability
Dave Pratt scribbled rapidly across the giant post-it board. He switched colors with ideas, added seemingly cryptic equations to the...
Today’s Ranch: Cell Grazing and Three Secrets for Increasing Profit
Dave Pratt, an internationally-known grazing and sustainable ranching expert, will present a one-day pasture and ranch business...
‘Just go for it:’ Women Stepping Forward in Agriculture highlights entrepreneurial go-getters
They thought they knew everything they needed to know about barley. After all, Mike and Linda O'Brien had grown cereal grains on his...
Filling the bread box
I’ve missed wheat harvest in Nebraska the past few years. Riding along with Herbie Husker on the side of the Case IH red combine. Sinking...
A passion for agriculture
Sorting a livestock class is easy. Just put the good ones up, the bad ones down. Then, be ready to back it up; talk tough. But sorting...
'One live, two dead, one just born.'
F.S. Cooley's writing is full paternal wisdom. “Uncle Sam” Hampton’s words progress with a contagious enthusiasm. Even business letters...
Hahn family honored for enduring efforts to care for water, wildlife, soil and ranching business
"I hope they slow down every once in a while," Chuck Hahn said, nodding at the steady line of boaters, anglers and campers streaming...
ALL IN A DAY’S WORK: Bev Fryer is Montana’s Ranch Woman of the Year
(Originally published Jan. 10, 2015) It's January at the Castle Mountain Ranch, and the wind whistles through the veil of snow that has...
'Worth the squeeze'
Used cars. Potential dates. Bred heifers. A prudent shopper for any of the above is wise to wonder: How well were they cared for before I...
Just breathe.
He's keeping pace beside me. My childhood playmate's dad; our middle school track coach. He's in wind pants instead of his traditional...
Stoney Creek Farm protects 'right to farm' by conservation
In a state of 10,000 lakes, water law rules the land. At Stoney Creek Farm, near Redwood, Minnesota, Grant Breitkreutz knows conservation...
Taking care of the money makers
In the Highwood Mountains, quality-driven cows are at the top of a supply chain that can quickly snowball. "It can be tough on the...
Getting a leg up on farm labor issues
Harvest season always seems to start in the same frantic, frustrating way. Two months before the combines roll, Megan Hedges recounts,...