LF Ranch | Augusta, Montana
First-Year Internship Experience, 2022

The LF Ranch is nestled below Crown Mountain on the Rocky Mountain front, the crown of the continent. The small unincorporated town of Augusta is a short 20-minute drive away. The ranch stretches from the mountains all the way to the prairie, an astounding 60,000 acres. First assembled in the early 1900s, the LF is now on its third owner in its lifetime, most recently changing ownership in 2018. Since being under such new ownership, the LF does not yet have a clear-cut mission or goal, other than to do the best they can while learning all the new factors that come with a new ranch. In general, the ranch is a commercial cow-calf pair operation focused on producing the best possible cow, according to their standard, that their rangeland allows. The owner also has a focus to “red line stock” the ranch in an effort to make it as financially proactive as possible. The ranch is also used extensively for recreational purposes by the owner and guests.

The ranch has a full-time crew of five employees and an overall manager, they also bring in seasonal help, mainly in the summers, whenever needed. The ranch is divided in two working divisions; livestock and farming/maintenance. I was placed in the livestock division and daily duties were extensive. First and foremost, I was partially responsible for livestock care and management. Under the guidance from the cow boss, I would complete various tasks including; doctoring, supplying mineral, predation checks, fencing, and movement of livestock. As with any ranch, many of these tasks depended on the time of year and weather.

Dry skies and short grass were a common sight on the Rocky Mountain Front this summer. Unlike some of the state, the Front was hit with historically dry days and hot temperatures. With a previously abused rangeland, this was not conducive for the LF to keep its red line stocking rates. The ranch sold 400 pairs and 260 yearlings in the month of June to lessen pressure on rangelands later in the summer. There is always a silver lining, by selling livestock the LF was able to fortify their genetics more and give some pastures the rest they surely needed.

Sometimes it is difficult to narrow down exactly what was the most interesting or most exciting experience when everything is so new. The LF differed in many ways from what I had previously been exposed to in the wide world of ranching. Most notably, the stockman ship and rangeland management were the most interesting and, at times, challenging things to learn and experience. The LF does an outstanding job of low stress cattle handling and minimally negatively impacting the rangeland. I believe these were accomplished by one; the tactful use of horses and the ease of the facilities to keep livestock calm and handling well, and two; the care and attentiveness set forth in the decision-making process for livestock movement. While livestock is, and should be, the main factor when deciding where and when to graze, the rangeland health was also taken into consideration.

Learning all of this and working for the LF has only solidified that I am in the right career and the Dan Scott Ranch Management Program (DSRMP) will take me where I want to go.

As of now my senior project will be centered around the cost analysis of putting pivots on hayfields. The LF just acquired another ranch in Choteau, MT. A 200-acre flood irrigated grass haven. The ranch wants to see how, or if at all, beneficial it could be to put in pivots where the ground was previously flood irrigated. The cost analysis would get right down to how many pounds of gain the ranch would have to achieve on steer calves and for how long before the pivots would essentially pay themselves off. I am looking forward to this project and any additional responsibilities or learning opportunities that will come next summer.

In my opinion, the internship is the most important part of DSRMP. With a willing ranch and driven intern, it benefits both parties. The intern gathers valuable work experience and is given the opportunity to take what they’ve learned in the classroom and apply it to the real world. I believe it’s also important because and intern can experience what producers in the industry are actually aiming for and what is important to them, rather than just what an intern may learn in the classroom.