For Montana ranchers, winter isn’t a time to slow down – it’s when the real work begins. As temperatures drop and the snow piles up, the demands of ranch life intensify, no matter how cold it gets.
On the Forder Land and Cattle Co. outside of Highwood, ranch hand Ryan Miller says that every day in the winter months is a fight against the weather. “It's a seven day a week job, especially in the winter. We never get the time off.”
Livestock still need feeding, water sources often freeze over, and heavy snow can make even routine chores a challenge.
“It’s kind of every day you're thinking about how you can better take care of your cows and get them more happy and healthy.” Miller explained.
While calving season for the ranch isn’t here just yet, Miller said that the longest hours occur when calving season begins. “Right now, we don't have any baby calves. It makes it worse when you're in calving season and you're having baby calves being born in blowing wind and below zero temperatures.”
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The work doesn’t stop when the chill sets in, though despite the hardships, ranchers embrace the challenge and acknowledge the pride in taking care of the animals and keeping the operation going.
“There's a lot of times where my facial hair is pure ice but I would take the cold over the heat any day. The season is just beginning.”
Cattle are vital to Montana’s economy so for the ranching community, the winter is just another chapter in the year-round grind of the land.
