WINDY MOUNTAIN RANCH | Sold
Deer Lodge, Montana | Powell County
- $4,500,000
- Approximately 2,751 Deeded, 1,903 State of Montana - 4,654 Total Acres
- Exceptional Irrigated Production
Windy Mountain Ranch offers a quality commercial cattle operation with productive irrigation, big game hunting and immediate access to fishing on the Clark Fork River. The Ranch, located in the Deer Lodge Valley – the heart of Montana’s historic cattle country, encompasses 2,751± deeded acres in one contiguous block. The 361± irrigated acres, of which 340± are under pivot, are irrigated with excellent senior water rights out of the Clark Fork River and Peterson Creek with a combination of center pivot and about 20 acres of hand line. The Ranch also has a State of Montana lease on an adjoining 1,903± -acre parcel making a very well-blocked 4,654± total acre Ranch.
The current ownership and management have worked diligently for years to improve the pivot irrigation, pasture fencing, stock-water network and functional appropriate improvements in order to optimize the efficiency of the ranch operation. This diligent effort has created an efficient and well-run cow-calf cattle operation that comfortably runs over 200 AUs on the solid hard-grass pastures during the spring, summer and early fall months, and on the lush riparian and irrigated hay fields during the late fall and winter months. The well-designed pasture network is used on a rotational basis to provide flexibility to utilize and optimize the primary ranch resource – grass. The productive irrigated hay base, planted in alfalfa hay and grass, historically have generated between 4.5 and 5 tons per acre providing all of the annual feed necessary for the Ranch plus a typical surplus of over 1,000 tons of hay that generates solid annual ranch revenue.
The working corrals are primarily steel-pipe construction and handle the demands of the commercial cattle operation effectively. There is a covered facility that houses a hydraulic Silencer chute, and a well-designed and efficient network of sorting pens and corrals. This well-built set of working improvements will comfortably handle large numbers of cattle. With excellent access to all-season county roads and a certified 50,000-pound scale on site, cows are shipped directly from the Ranch.
Well-balanced ranch operations that are well blocked up are becoming difficult to find and are a premium in today’s market. Windy Mountain Ranch will check all the boxes for buyers looking for a very productive and blocked-up agricultural operation that is supplemented by recreation attributes, solid working facilities and appropriate improvements.