Every winter, Montana’s rodeo and roping world keeps one eye south. When an Arizona town like Wickenburg starts drawing attention for a big, branded rodeo weekend in 2026, it’s not just a calendar note—it’s a signal about where the sport is headed, what kind of horses are in demand, and how producers are building events […]
Across parts of Montana, a dry growing season is translating into tighter hay supplies and higher-stakes decisions for ranchers and horse owners. Reports indicate some producers are seeing lighter first cuttings, fewer second cuttings, and more competition for what’s available—especially good-quality grass hay and alfalfa. Even when hay is out there, the bigger question is […]
When grain markets get jumpy, Montana ranchers feel it fast—often through the feed bill before anything else. Even if you grow your own hay, grain prices can ripple into supplements, pellets, mineral mixes, and the broader cost of keeping cows in condition through winter. That’s why a newly released grain market benchmarks report from university […]
Drive any Montana backroad long enough and you’ll see the full range of cattle types that make sense here: big-bodied Angus and Hereford, tough range cows, and plenty of crossbreds built for winter, grass, and long distances to water. Lately, another breed has been getting more conversation across the Northern Plains—Belted Galloways, the black cattle […]
After a few tough years of weather, input costs, and herd liquidation, market watchers are increasingly focused on a familiar theme: the cattle cycle may be setting up for a turn. Reports from national industry analysts point to a 2026 landscape where beef demand remains resilient while cattle supplies stay historically tight—conditions that often support […]
If you’ve ever “checked one reel” and lost half an afternoon online, you know the season—even when the weather won’t admit it. In this case, it’s winter, despite a day that was sunny and mild and a weekend skiff of snow that already feels like a faded memory. Jump to: When weather stops being a […]
When Yellowstone settles into winter, the park changes character in a hurry. Roads close, steam rises off thermal basins, and the crowds thin to a fraction of summer levels. For Montanans who hunt, fish, ranch, or just like to keep tabs on what’s happening along our southern border, that winter shift matters. It influences where […]
Montanans are used to taking a good dog just about everywhere—checking pivots, riding fence, chasing roosters, or riding along to town. Yellowstone National Park is different. If you’re headed south with a dog in the rig, it pays to know the rules ahead of time so you don’t end up turned around at the gate […]
Hunters, ranchers, and anyone who’s spent time in big country knows certain places seem to “hold” bones. In and around Yellowstone, reports indicate there are remote pockets where elk and other animals commonly end up dying—leaving a landscape that can look like a natural boneyard. It’s not a spooky mystery so much as ecology doing […]
Reports indicate a high-profile Yellowstone National Park wolf—one frequently seen by visitors—was illegally killed, prompting renewed attention on wolf poaching and the complicated patchwork of rules that surround the park. For Montanans who hunt, ranch, and recreate near the Yellowstone boundary, incidents like this land close to home: they affect public trust, enforcement pressure, and […]