About
the Ranch
The ranch is located in a remote area of north-central Montana and consists of privately owned land, private leases, and BLM allotments. Our primary goal is to produce beef sustainably while improving native grasslands and soil health.
The ranch operates primarily as a cow-calf operation with some stocker cattle. Due to our harsh, semi-arid environment, we do not grow annual crops and instead maintain soil cover with perennial vegetation. Cows are grazed year-round and rotated through 90 permanent pastures, averaging more than 150 pasture moves per year. The herd includes 650 cows and 200 replacement heifers, with hay harvested for severe winter feeding.
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We also raise breeding stock for other ranchers, selling red composite, low-input bulls and females in an annual production sale. The remaining cattle are marketed through the beef commodity market at around 700 pounds. Our artificial insemination program breeds roughly 500 heifers and cows annually, totaling more than 8,000 AI-bred animals over 26 years. We also use embryo transfer to expand superior genetics. Each animal is identified, weighed, and recorded yearly, with DNA testing and EPD calculations done in partnership with Allied Genetic Resources.
Annual ranch work includes grazing planning, range monitoring, rotational grazing, mineral supplementation, and infrastructure maintenance—such as building and repairing reservoirs, wells, pipelines, and facilities. Apprentices participate in all aspects of animal husbandry, including calving, branding, AI, preconditioning, weaning, and shipping.
Ongoing conservation efforts focus on improving soil fertility through monitoring, bale grazing, composting, and installing beaver dam analogs to enhance riparian health. The ranch collaborates with several organizations and agencies to steward its soil, rangeland, and wildlife resources.
Learn more on our website.Â
Regenerative Practices
We use moderately intensive grazing, moving the cows every 7–10 days, and have recently implemented a winter grazing program using bale grazing on hay meadows. Each year, we conduct plant and bird surveys and host the Montana Conservation Corps for a week to help install Beaver Dam Analogs.
We collaborate with the World Wildlife Fund through their RSVP program, engage with Native on carbon sequestration projects, and work collectively with Winnett ACES. Our livestock handling follows Bud Williams’ Low-Stress Livestock Handling principles.
No commercial fertilizers are used on our hay meadows; instead, we apply compost and are developing our own vermicast. This nutrient-rich material is used to improve problem areas, such as saline seeps, bare ground, and our hay meadows.
For pest management, we use natural fly control methods to avoid broad-spectrum insecticides, promoting beneficial insect populations while maintaining cattle health.
Tour
the Ranch
The Mentor
Dale and Janet Veseth
Dale Veseth has been part of the management team on the family ranch since 1990. He holds both a BS and MS in Animal Science from Montana State University and served as Executive Director of the nonprofit Montana Beef Performance Association in the late 1980s.
He is actively involved in numerous conservation organizations, including as a founding member of the Matador Grassbank and the Rancher Stewardship Alliance (RSA). Dale has also worked as a director with the Montana Chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC), which holds an easement on the ranch. Additionally, the ranch participates in a carbon contract with Native Energy and is enrolled in the RSVP program with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Dale specializes in range management planning, recordkeeping, and calculating carrying capacity, as well as ranch financial management. He also has expertise in cattle genetics, husbandry, and nutrition.
Janet Veseth is married to Dale and holds a BS in Nursing. She is responsible for household and office management, including maintaining office records, bookkeeping, organization, and coordinating much of the ranch’s daily operations. Janet also contributes significantly to range monitoring and planning, and manages meal preparation on cattle-working days. She assists with calving, moving and working cows, and provides support in nearly every aspect needed to keep ranch operations running smoothly. This is, of course, only a part of the many roles she fulfills as a ranch wife.
Jim and Shellee Steele
Jim and Shellee have worked full-time on the ranch for several years, with Jim serving in a supervisory role. His background includes fence contracting, mechanics, livestock pipeline and well drilling, and work as a wildlands firefighter. On the ranch, his specialties include serving as fire chief, fence and corral construction, electrical systems, welding for building and repairs, and mechanical maintenance. He also calves the mature cow herd and leads the vermiculture project.
The Duties Of
The Apprentice
What will an apprentice do?
What skills and traits are required?
What skills will an apprentice acquire?
Nuts & Bolts
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Living on the Ranch
Town information
We are 50 miles south of Malta Montana and 195 miles north of Billings Montana. We are along the Missouri River Breaks and are quite remote. The closest town is the town of Zortman which is a small little town containing only a bar, cafe, and a gas station.
Housing
Apprentice will live in a prefab house that has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a livingroom and kitchen. We just put in a new heating system and will have all the large appliances available. If an apprentice would like small appliances or specialty items they will need to bring their own.Â
Laundry
The apprentice will have a washer and dryer in their house.Â
Internet Service
Fiber optic internet is available in apprentice housing.
Cell service
Verizon cell service works on most places on the ranch.
Visitors
We have no problem with short-term visitors as long as scheduled or required work is addressed. We would like to know in advance numbers and dates. Long-term visitors would have to be a topic for the team to discuss.
Food:
Basic Groceries are covered by the ranch.Â
Pets:
Yes– if they are controlled around livestock and don’t cause a threat to other humans or pets.Â
Drugs/Tobacco/Alcohol:
Smokeless tobacco is fine, we do not allow smoking of any kind due to high fire risk. Alcohol is permitted, but we ask that you drink responsibly.
FirearmsÂ
You may bring firearms with you if you so choose but they need to be used in a safe and prudent manner.
Vehicle Info
Ranch Vehicles
Apprentice will be able to use ranch vehicles and fuel except for personal apprentice time.
Personal Vehicles
While apprentices will not be asked to use a personal vehicle for work purposes, the apprentice will need the flexibility of his or her own vehicle on their days off in order to run personal errands such as purchasing groceries and for travel.
Work Hours / Time Off
Working Hours
Generally start the day between 8 am and 9am and work until 6pm or 7pm. Some days may be earlier and run later, but we will make up for that at the end of the week.Time Off
Apprentice will generally receive Sundays off, may have some weekends off depending on what the week looked like.
Health Insurance
Explore
Apprentice Stories
Check out past apprentices and what they have to say about their experience.