I'm in love with Montana

Guest post by Clemson Montana Summer Program student Amber Moore

“I’m in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection. But with Montana it is love. And it’s difficult to analyze love when you’re in it.”
― John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America. 

Only few days in, and I have unquestionably fallen in love with Montana. The wide open skies, the short grass that runs for miles, the thin layer of dirt that always covers everything, and the constant sightings of animals that scamper away with a glance my way. Out of all of the places that I have traveled, this one has made the biggest and longest lasting impact in such a short amount of days. 

The third day here I had the pleasure of being introduced to Terry and LaVonne Frost, owners of Frosty Creek Angus Ranch, and managers of Pat and Goz Segar’s Angus cattle herd. While visiting their cow-calf operation to learn about Range Management, I had the pleasure of assisting the wonderful Dr. Judy, a large-animal veterinarian, with administering the Brucellosis vaccine to roughly 80 heifers. When getting briefed by Terry and Dr. Judy before jumping into the ranch chores, I learned that the disease is highly contagious and costly to ruminants, as well as humans. In livestock, the disease is known to decrease milk production, cause weight loss, lameness, and most importantly, loss of young and infertility. In a cow-calf operation, the loss of a calf and its mother is detrimental and extremely costly. Cows are able to get the disease through licking aborted fetuses, membranes or fluids of the placenta, or the nose of an infected animal. In this area of Montana, it is thought that Brucellosis is still around due to the elk, bison, and other animals that are capable of coming down from Yellowstone National Park and interacting with the livestock since there are no physical boundaries separating the species. The vaccine was given subcutaneously (under the skin) in the neck of each animal in the herd. While this was done, a USDA tag was put in the right ear, as well as a tattoo indicating that the shot had been given, and thus, making the animal available for transport across state lines for sales. I was also told that the dry and crusty white areas on a majority of the cattle’s faces was ring-worm, which had been pretty bad this year with the heifers. Through this process of vaccination and tagging, hearing Terry speak with such passion and determination for this line of work and way of life was just astounding. He knew every head of cattle’s sire and dam, and the temperament of each, which was truly amazing and rare in the ranching and farming business.

After the much needed break in-between farm chores, we were able to discuss with the Frost’s their views on the wildlife around them, and how it affects their lifestyle. To them, the wild animals are welcome to be around, but can be extremely destructive to their ranching process, and that is when they become a problem. There is a multitude of ground squirrels on the ranch, which make large holes wherever they please, which is a huge problem for cattle. A cow could step in one when just grazing or running around, ending up with a broken leg, for which nothing can typically be done. Another example is the strenuous process that they have to go through when a coyote attacks one of their cows and they have to report it to the BLM officials. As Dr. Lascano discussed when going over ruminant production and nutrition, if we left the more rocky areas in a natural condition for wild animals, then there is a possibility that they would less frequently venture into the pastures. I think that that is a grand idea, seeing as the wild animals would actually have a place to feel and be safe, while also having a good food source. I can also see the ranchers' viewpoint that animals like coyotes, which reproduce quickly, can get out of hand rapidly if not managed properly.

Since the Frosts run a cow-calf operation, the female cattle are expected to calve once a year. With the extreme weather during the typical calving season, the Frosts are one of three ranches that decided to have calves born in the fall. They decided to do this because heavy snowfall makes forage hard to find, causing the pregnant mothers to turn to the Ponderosa Pines for shelter, as well as food. These pines are rich in turpentine, which causes the cow to abort the pregnancy. Cows are usually expected to calve out during the spring since there is an ample amount of forage. Since this is not the case for fall calving, supplemental feed is required when the cows are brought in from the pastures for pregnancy watch, and for a safe haven.

Before the long day of ranch chores concluded, there was fence to be repaired. Terry gathered up the materials needed, and we all packed into the trucks to head to the broken fence. At first glance, I thought that the fence looked irreparable and that it would take hours to put back together, but not to Terry. To him, it was just another day’s work, but he seemed happy to have extra sets of hands to help. When asked who would normally help him, he contentedly said his wife and dad; I could never imagine doing such a task with just two other people. I was truly amazed by him and his family, keeping this dream alive, stopping at nothing. On the other hand, I also felt bad for the many deer and pronghorns that would have to find a way around the fence on their already long journey. While I felt immense satisfaction about repairing the fence. It was a necessary evil in my eyes, and I understand that they need the fence to keep out sheep, stop their cows from wandering, and much more. With only three family members to run the ranch, the task of changing even the top wire from barbed to smooth on just one section to allow the wild ungulates to cross would be overwhelming since they own over 12,000 acres of property.

As Theodore Roosevelt once stated, “Do what you can with what you have, where you are,” and that is truly what the Frosts have done with their ranch. They are constantly busy, with their plans continuously changing, but they go with the flow and chalk it up as another day's work. I admire their love and passion for what they do, and hope that I am able to put as much passion into my line of work. I cannot wait to see what the rest of this Montana adventure holds, but I am loving and learning every minute of it!