REDFIELD, Iowa (DTN) -- Working hard to turn a dream into reality is what Tristan and Shaylyn Stark are doing every day on their Montana ranch.

The Stark Family owns S Bar K Cattle and Hay in Baker, Montana, and are participating in DTN's View From the Range series, where DTN will follow a year at the ranch to give readers an inside look at how the ranch operates and cares for its animals.

This segment of the series focuses on how young producers make a go of getting into ranching and growing their operation.

A SHARED PASSION AND A PLAN

"We both grew up with cattle and the ranching lifestyle and have a real passion for this life," said Shaylyn. "We knew raising our family on this cattle ranch was always our No. 1 goal as a couple."

Shaylyn said for them a big part of starting out so well was they work well together. Tristan has a great work ethic and is well respected in their community and is always willing to help others, which has given them additional opportunities. She said it also helps that his grandfather was ready to slow down when they wanted to get into ranching and they were able to lease his rangeland.

Their most recent land purchase was with Tristan's brother from a lady near their town who had lost her husband and didn't have anyone to leave the ranch to. "She wanted to see younger people take care of the land. She gave us the opportunity to purchase with a contract to deed, which really made it so we could successfully purchase that ranch," Shaylyn explained. This kept them from having to get outside financing and paying a lot more interest.

The first cattle Tristan purchased was 100 heifers from his parents, nearly 10 years ago. He purchased those for fair market value at the time. Prices have increased considerably since then, which may have made it more difficult to purchase the same animals now.

FINANCING THE FUTURE

Finding the right lending institute in Farm Credit and financial programs available through the Farm Service Agency (FSA) has been a huge part of their early success as well.

"Tristan has taken advantage of the beginning farmer and rancher programs with FSA," Shaylyn said. "I have as well because women get advantages through their programs also."

Leasing and purchasing ground through creative ways has allowed the Starks to grow their operation quickly, for a young couple, but it also comes with certain expectations. "We want to take care of all the land to be able to have the next generation take over. We don't overgraze, weed control is important, as is maintaining the fences and water sources," she added. "Our landlords are responsible for providing any needed materials to build fence or fix waterers, but we do the labor."

Since Tristan started the operation in 2017 and they were married in 2021, they have continued to grow. The 100-head herd has grown to over 300 cows, but they hope to double that in the next several years, as well as expanding the haying operation. The couple relies on hay sales to keep the operation profitable. "We recently looked at our hay and cattle sales over the past 10 years. More times the hay income has saved us than the cattle income," Shaylyn said. Crop insurance on the hay has helped protect their operation in severe drought years when they didn't have extra hay to sell.

ADVICE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION

Shaylyn said hard times will come when you are living on a Montana ranch, but having a passion for success and making a good life for their three kids is what keeps them going. Building good relationships and planning for the future while saving for retirement is important. "If I had to tell the younger generation something about how to be successful in ranching, I would say for them to be sure to make the right connections and relationships with neighbors and older ranchers who can teach them how to make ranching work," she said. "Agriculture is a gamble. We have had to lay a lot of cards on the table to see what the right hand is."

And for the older generation, she wants them to realize there are a lot of young people who want to get into farming and ranching but may not have all the opportunities of a family operation to take over. For them, she said, she hopes they will take a chance on young people who want to continue in the agriculture lifestyle, so the land isn't taken over by corporations or data centers.

"We just want our kids to be able to take over this ranch without having to be in debt buying it like so many of the previous generations. That comes with good management and planning," she concluded.

Editor's Note: To see previous stories in this series, go to:

"Montana Family Shares View From the Range," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

"Montana Ranchers Weather Challenges to Preserve Ranch Heritage," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

"Montana Family Follows Winter Weather Care Routine," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

"Montana Family Keeps Calving Low Labor," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

Jennifer Carrico can be reached at jennifer.carrico@dtn.com

Follow her on social platform X @JennCattleGal

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