Montana Couple Donates $21 Million Legacy Ranch To Keep It Free From Development and ‘Conserve the Old West’

In a jaw-dropping act of generosity that will keep thousands of acres of rural land free from development for generations to come, a couple have donated their 38,000-acre Montana ranch to a group dedicated to preserving the Yellowstone way of life.

Rather than cashing out to become multimillionaires, Dale and Janet Veseth have donated their legacy cattle ranch in Malta, in southern Phillips County, MT, valued at $21.6 million, to the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA), a conservation group.

The nonprofit's mission is to do whatever is necessary to prevent the land from being sold out of ranching families and to conserve the "people, economies, wildlife, and natural landscapes" of the Old West.

The gift is the largest recorded working ranch donation in Montana history. Dale and Janet Veseth will continue to run the Veseth Cattle Company ranch, but ownership will pass to the nonprofit they helped found 22 years ago.

"We’ve watched RSA grow into something pretty special," said Dale in a press release. "It’s brought people together with a shared purpose and opened eyes to the positive impact ranchers have on the ground. We’re proud to know the ranch will be part of that. They’ll keep it working the way it’s meant to be."

"Dale and Janet's decision reflects a deep sense of responsibility to the land," RSA communications director Haylie Shipp tells Realtor.com.

"They plan to continue living and ranching here because this life is their fulfillment, not something they are looking to retire from. At a time when agricultural land in Montana faces increasing pressure to be taken out of production, this gift keeps the ranch in food production and supports rural communities, wildlife habitat, and future ranchers."

Due to the difficulties and expense of cattle ranching, there has been a massive depopulation of the area and the industry, Dale, now 63, told Cowboy State Daily.

The Veseth ranch's 38,000 acres, which has been in Dale's family for three generations going back to the 1880s, previously supported about 100 families, he says. But today, it is only three, though there are 76 homestead deeds on the property.

Dale says the expense of land versus the modest pay of a ranch hand no longer makes it feasible for anyone who isn't incredibly wealthy to get into ranching.

"For people to go out and pay $20 million to have an average job, that probably isn't going to work," he told the outlet.

There are currently 441 active Montana listings with the word "ranch" in the description, ranging from a $57 million 23.5-thousand acre ranch to a 7,854-square foot lot listed for $28,000.

The priciest listing, the Custer Legacy Ranch, comes with more than 23,500 self-sustaining acres in a single contiguous block, along with 1,280 acres of state lands lease totaling 24,780 acres. Animals include elk, mule deer, swift antelope, pheasants, turkeys, Hungarian partridge, sharp-tailed grouse, and plenty of fishing along Bighorn River.

Ranchers Stewardship Alliance creation

In 2003, local ranchers joined forces over concern about developers acquiring massive amounts of land in what is known as "Big Sky country."

"Ranchers started to stand up a little bit more to say, 'Hey, we've been the ones stewarding the land,'" Angel DeVries, RSA's executive director, told the outlet.

The goal of the group is to support families so that land never needs to be sold out of agriculture. Additionally, land will be preserved for wildlife habitat, bringing conservation grants to the ranchers.

Another local conservation group, American Prairie Reserve (APR), works to preserve acreage for wild bison in the area. The two nonprofits formerly worked together, but "things got more contentious and then we just weren't welcome anymore," APR spokesperson Pete Geddes told the outlet.

Some in the area feel that buying land to turn into bison habitat is driving families from ranching, but Geddes denies that.

Things became so strained that Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed a letter written to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum accusing the APR of wanting to convert "Montana's historic farms and ranches into the largest wildlife refuge in the continental United States."

"Nothing could be further from the truth," Geddes said. "We’ve done, like, 53 land deals. Only one family ever left that region."

The Veseth ranch

The sprawling, pristine ranch is dedicated to producing beef sustainably while improving grasslands and soil health.

Cows are grazed year-round and rotated through 90 permanent pastures, averaging more than 150 pasture moves per year, according to the ranch's bio on Quivira Coalition. There are 650 cows and 200 replacement heifers.

The ranch also uses the latest techniques to keep the cattle breeding.

"Our artificial insemination program breeds roughly 500 heifers and cows annually, totaling more than 8,000 AI-bred animals over 26 years," says its bio. "We also use embryo transfer to expand superior genetics. Each animal is identified, weighed, and recorded yearly, with DNA testing and EPD calculations done in partnership with Allied Genetic Resources."

With ranchers aging out of ranching—the average age is now 60—and very few able to afford to enter the industry, solutions must be identified if this way of life is to be preserved for generations to come.

"[RSA] will have an avenue for people that have spent their life on the land and want other people to have that opportunity, raise food, and be the backbone of these rural local communities," Dale Veseth told Cowboy State Daily.

"I'm extremely happy I'm a rancher. I think I had one of the few opportunities that most people will never have."

"We’ve only been here for a blink of an eye in the grand scheme of things,” he added. "This land will outlast us all. It’s been a privilege to care for it. It’s been a fun ride, and we’re not done yet."