About
the Ranch
“Our Mission is to produce a product our customers value and trust, in a manner that builds the soil and resources the world depends on, with a business that rewards the family members and employees with an enjoyable atmosphere and a living wage.”
Homesteaded in 1882 in the Blackfoot Valley, the ranch is currently owned and operated by members of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th generations of the Mannix Family. Our main enterprises include a cow calf enterprise, a stocker enterprise, a direct marketing grass-fed beef enterprise, and a timber enterprise. Our cow calf herd is generally about 1250 cow calf pairs, calving in April, May, and June. We are currently backgrounding all of our own calves which are either kept for replacements or enter our stocker operation. Depending on grass we occasionally supplement stocker numbers through purchasing. From our stocker enterprise animals are either sold through the commodity market, or kept through a second winter to finish on grass and market through our grass-finished beef enterprise.
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Our direct marketing enterprise is currently selling around 300 finished beef, as well as over 200 cull cows, through a combination of restaurants, grocery stores, and direct to consumer sales. Over the last few years, we have begun working with 4 other partnering ranches and a wonderful team of people to form Old Salt Cooperative. Old Salt has a processing facility and 2 restaurants in Helena as well as offering direct to consumer meat from partnering ranches. While they have taken over some of the direct to consumer work such as packing orders and driving delivery routes, we continue to offer retail and wholesale accounts to customers.
Regenerative Practices
The ranch practices intensive rotational grazing on our irrigated ground, usually moving the cattle every 1-4 days to allow adequate time for recovery before returning. The ranch continues to improve its infrastructure to allow more intensive management in other areas as well. Some of the ground is rugged, remote, and much less productive than irrigated meadows, with limited access to water. Without further infrastructure, this makes frequent moves impractical and uneconomical. In these cases, we improve the range by varying season-of-use, and by resting many of these pastures every other year. We also manage cattle dispersal through mineral and water placement.
The majority of the ranch is under conservation easement, which protects the land from most forms of development and includes protecting sagebrush habitat. The Mannix Family also works closely with groups such as Trout Unlimited, the USFWS, the Blackfoot Challenge, and others to implement a variety of conservation projects.
Tour
the Ranch
The Mentor
Erica Mannix
I will be the main mentor contact, but the apprentice will be mentored by many members of the ranching team.
I grew up on the ranch and worked on and off through the summers while also pursuing my passion for horses. My undergraduate degree is in Environmental Science and Biology, and I have an Education Degree with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction. Before returning to the ranch about 6 years ago, I spent time working in a lot of different capacities, from horse training and Holistic Ranch Management Internships to teaching 5th grade and directing an after-school program.
Since returning to the ranch in 2019, I have mainly worked as a general ranch hand. While my role changes seasonally, I am currently working to take over the management of our herd health program, am very passionate about low-stress livestock handling and horsemanship, and am very involved in the day-to-day management of cattle and grass.
In addition to my work on the ranch, I co-host several livestock handling workshops with NAP and Women in Ranching each year, and run a small custom leatherwork business. I deeply enjoy working with people in these spaces and hope to continue making these opportunities more accessible.
Depending on ranch needs and apprentice interests, the apprentice will interact with many others on the ranch. Brothers David, Randy, and Brent Mannix, all members of the fourth generation, along with their wives, are the leaders and most experienced members of the ranch. Members of the fifth generation, including Logan Mannix, Bryan and his wife Kate Mannix, Jordan Mannix, Ashley and her husband Taylor Ophus, all have extensive experience on the ranch and will likely be working with the apprentice often.
The Duties Of
The Apprentice
What will an apprentice do?
What skills and traits are required?
- We are looking for a hard-working, honest, self-starting, passionate, open-minded team player. People and relationships are very important to our family and our business; an apprentice will need to have good interpersonal skills in order to be successful in this environment.
- Ideally 1-2 years of hands-on experience on farms and/or ranches. Because we are a large and diverse operation, we are probably not as well-suited to teaching the most basic skills of agriculture, as we are providing a deeper and broader experience in ranching.
- Experience operating basic ranching equipment, such as the ability to drive a vehicle with standard transmission, drive and back up a truck with a stock trailer, operate 4-wheelers and/or motorbikes.
- Some experience operating heavy machinery such as tractors, swathers, etc.
- Some experience with other types of hands-on work, such as operating a chainsaw and/or power tools.
- Open minded with a willingness to learn and not afraid to share ideas.
- Valid Driver’s License required.
What skills will an apprentice acquire?
Nuts & Bolts
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Living on the Ranch
Town Information
The Mannix Ranch is located a few miles outside of Helmville, MT. Helmville is a small town with two churches, and a local bar is the only business in town. The towns of Ovando and Lincoln are about a 20 minute drive away and each have a small grocery store, a few restaurants and bars, and a hardware store. The cities of Missoula and Helena are each about an hour drive away, and are where we typically go for groceries, shopping, or a night out on the town. We have access to some of the best hunting, fishing, and backpacking around. The Blackfoot River flows through a section of the ranch, which offers excellent fishing. Access to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex is just 20 minutes from the ranch. If apprentices were able to get a hunting or fishing license, they would be welcome to hunt and/or fish on the ranch or nearby as time permits. Apprentices are encouraged to get involved in the community. There are often live bands and dancing at the local bar in the summer. Helmville puts on a Labor Day Rodeo, as well as several other community events. In the Blackfoot Valley, summers are warm and often dry with average highs around 80+ degrees and average lows around 40 degrees. Spring and fall can involve snow, freezing temperatures, and periodic wind.
Housing
There is a small bunk house cabin for individual lodging on the ranch that is currently available. It has a kitchen, a bathroom, living room, a loft bedroom, laundry room, telephone, and WIFI.
Laundry
In apprentice housing.
Internet Service
In apprentice housing.
Cell Service
There is NO cell service in Helmville. Occasionally, you might find a spot to receive a text message or make a call, but that is rare. The best provider is Verizon. Wifi calling is often what we rely on with our cell phones.
Visitors
Visitors are welcome as long as their stay is reasonably short and the time required doesn’t regularly conflict with their work.
Food
There will be occasional shared meals on bigger crew work days, but most meals/packed lunches are on your own. The apprentice will have a supply of beef from the ranch in addition to their stipend.
Pets
Other pets will be considered on an individual basis. For the most part a dog or cat is probably fine, although we have enough dogs on the place that we would want to make sure they got along with other stock dogs and weren’t a disruption when working cattle.
Drugs / Tobacco / Alcohol
Tobacco use is permitted, cannabis and alcohol are ok during non-working hours, but employees must not be under the influence while working.
Firearms
The apprentice is welcome to bring a hunting rifle or shotgun with them. Our only expectation is that they are used carefully and responsibly.
Vehicle Info
Ranch Vehicles
Apprentice will drive ranch vehicles during work hours. Vehicles are likely to have manual transmission.
Personal Vehicles
You will need your own personal vehicle to get to the ranch or to go to town on days off.
Work Hours / Time Off
Working Hours
We generally start our day at 8am and finish around 6pm, with time for a lunch break in the middle of the day. We expect employees to work an average of 9 hours per day and about 5 ½ days per week. However, this varies from day to day and from one season to the next. For example, cattle drives may start very early, and calving and haying seasons may require working 7 days/week for a stretch. We are usually flexible enough that if something important comes up, a day off even in these busy stretches is possible. If an apprentice is required to work 7 days a week occasionally, that time will be compensated for during a less busy time.Time Off
Apprentices may request a long weekend or 3-4 days at a time, but we ask that you do your best not to take this time during calving or haying season. If it is a pre-scheduled event, please let us know these dates during your interview or as soon as you are aware of them.
Health Insurance
Explore
Apprentice Stories
Check out past apprentices and what they have to say about their experience.