Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913

Articles written by Ranchers Stewardship Alliance


Sorted by date  Results 1 - 9 of 9

  • Water Weary Rancher Resourcefulness

    Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, For the Courier|Nov 6, 2024

    Birds chirp in no-man's land. A tall red barn, weathered paint but no hint of a lean, stands as the beacon welcoming you into the yard of Paul Williams, military veteran and newly invested Montana landowner. For all the silence, his yard is lively. A smiling Jack Russell Terrier looks up from the seat of an old ranch pickup. The reluctant Australian Cattle Dog keeps a wary eye on a drone capturing aerial footage, eager to grab hold if it gets too close. Crisply colored chickens waddle behind...

  • Next Year Country: How Years Of Prairie Cultivation Have Led Back To Native Grass

    Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, For the Courier|Aug 21, 2024

    If walls could talk, the pistachio green surface of Sally Austin's kitchen would instantaneously have you settled in over a cup of steaming Folgers. A gallery of framed photos, some slightly askew, tells the story of the 70 years Austin has lived on the ranch. Tucked among them, funeral programs and a well-worn flyswatter remind you of life's unvarnished realities. Legacies experience loss. Ranches have bugs. Perched atop a cushioned kitchen chair, Austin reflects on the history of the 125 years...

  • Tradition, Trial, And Targeted Implementation

    Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, For the Courier|Jul 17, 2024

    Beneath wispy clouds set in a blindingly blue sky where Montana and Saskatchewan become indistinguishable from one another sits the Louie Petrie Ranch, an exemplary model in ranch tradition, innovative trial, and targeted implementation. It's on this land outside of Turner where you'll find multiple generations strategizing for the long-term viability of the ranch originally homesteaded in 1901. "If you improve the resource, you're improving your bottom line," says Tyrel Obrecht, a...

  • Becoming The Beaver: How One Rancher's Unconventional Approach Is Bringing Water Back To An Arid Landscape

    Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, For the Courier|Apr 17, 2024

    The sweet peas are popping up in north Phillips County, enjoying the cool Montana spring before the heat of summer puts them to rest for another year. Birds chirp. The breeze is cool, the air fresh. And in the mind of Brian Fox, the gears are turning. Will the ranch improvements he's made in the last year equate to the improvements he's after? They were unconventional, he'll give it that, but also natural in a way that we may be just starting to appreciate. Fox has found himself at the forefront...

  • Ranchers Benefit From Fencing Projects With Ranchers Stewardship Alliance

    Ranchers Stewardship Alliance Kayla Walker, For the Courier|Jul 26, 2023

    There's been entire books written on the history of fencing in the West. The evolution of barbed wire, the impact fences had on the landscapes, and the range wars that ensued when fences first went up are all remarkable and fascinating stories that will forever stand in the history of the American West and the ranching industry. But when those same fences that made history are still standing today, plans to upgrade have likely been discussed. Modern day ranchers, however, know the harsh reality...

  • Raw and Real: Montana Ranch Families Share Succession Stories

    Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, For the Courier|Mar 8, 2023

    It’s emotional. It’s financial. It’s pivotal. And it often gets put on the back burner. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service reports that family-owned farms and ranches account for 97 percent of the 2.1 million total in the U.S. Yet only 30 percent of these survive into the second generation. Only 12 percent are still operating by the third. What’s more, some 69 percent of the family farms surveyed expected ownership to continue into the next generation, but only 23 percent had a plan. Where is t...

  • Raw and Real: Montana Ranch Families Share Succession Stories

    Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, For the Courier|Feb 15, 2023

    It’s emotional. It’s financial. It’s pivotal. And it often gets put on the back burner. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service reports that family-owned farms and ranches account for 97 percent of the 2.1 million total in the U.S. Yet only 30 percent of these survive into the second generation. Only 12 percent are still operating by the third. What’s more, some 69 percent of the family farms surveyed expected ownership to continue into the next generation, but only 23 percent had a plan. Where is t...

  • Three Small Tanks With A Large Impact

    Kayla Walker Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, For the Courier|Nov 30, 2022

    If there is a water line to add, a tank to set, or a unique water set up to try, it's likely Dusty Emond has done it on his ranch south of Malta, Mont. Of the nearly 12 miles of pipeline on his place, six new miles were added just last fall following the harsh drought of 2021 to send water to an additional 7,500 acres that could not be utilized by cattle last summer due to a lack of water. However, along that pipeline there are yet to be any tanks. "Even this year, we will have at least 20,000...

  • Landowner, Sportsmen Join in Fencing Effort

    Haylie Shipp Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, For the Courier|Oct 12, 2022

    We've heard it time and time again: good fences make good neighbors. But when it's your community that's teaming up to pound those posts and stretch that wire, the "neighborhood" becomes a whole lot bigger. Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit started by a group of 30 plus ranch families in 2003, joined a widespread effort in 2019 to improve fencing for wildlife migration. While major partners include the Department of Interior, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and...