WINDY MOUNTAIN RANCH | Sold

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.