| At the end of a long dirt road, tucked behind
a row of tall cottonwoods sits a medium-sized modern home on 40 acres
of prairie, gently cut by an unnamed spring that runs a mile or two to
the Bitterroot River. The house is perfect for a growing family that enjoys
an active lifestyle. The property is big enough for a couple of horses,
maybe a couple of cows or sheep, and a large garden. The barn is tall
and old but sturdy, and provides plenty of room to put the animals inside
in bad weather, and can hold a tractor, storage and other amenities, too.
This is the new “ranch.” The old-style ranches — properties of at least
a couple hundred acres — supported livestock and families. Often these
ranches were surrounded by other ranchers, or large expanses of public
land, and cordoned off by a complex series of fences and gates for separating
and managing cattle. Today’s ranches are often scaled down versions of
their ancestors. They are smaller, hold fewer animals, and often provide
only a fraction of a family’s income. But they also offer people a chance
to learn old-world skills and stay connected to the tradition and culture
of the land.
Even so, owning a large piece of land can be a tremendous amount for
work. Fences need to be mended, constantly; irrigation systems need to
be maintained; animals need to be cared for — just to list a few chores.
But inherent in those chores is what so many people are looking for in
a home: a place to work, to know and to understand. When you have to feed
the horse’s everyday, you come to understand how the vegetation around
your home grows, and how the shifting patterns to daylight affect your
animals. Such things add richness to life, and reward to the day!
When considering a lifestyle change to living on a “small” ranch, there
are many decisions to make. The larger the property, the more involved
it is to maintain. Do you want to tackle all that work yourself, or do
you want to hire some of it out? What kind of work do you want to do?
Raise a few head of cattle, or sheep? Or grow hay and sell it to the neighbors?
How much water do you need to undertake your dreams, and does your property
have it? How important is it to be close to town, and schools and possibly
your job, if you work outside the home?
Luckily, the Bitterroot Valley in western Montana is diverse in a way
that allows you to “customize” your ranch lifestyle. The valley is still
home to several old-style working cattle ranches, though for many economic
reasons, the ones that are able to support a family are disappearing.
But as many of these larger ranches fade away, smaller ones are cropping
up literally in their place. Ranchers who can no longer afford to run
several hundred or thousand acres are selling the land to create these
new, smaller ranches for families who can work smaller parcels in a way
that brings them meaning and enjoyment while also being able to find other
means of employment.
The ranching lifestyle in Montana is changing — no
doubt about that. But it’s still very much alive and waiting for you!
Featured Bitterroot Valley
Residential Property
Featured Bitterroot Valley Commercial Property
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