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orthwestern Montana’s Phillips County is home to the Veseth family, who have steered cattle operations for generations. Now, Dale and Janet Veseth have decided to give their 38,000‑acre ranch—valued at $21.6 million—to the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) instead of selling it. The couple will continue to run the property for the rest of their lives, after which ownership will transfer to the nonprofit. This act marks the largest donation of a working ranch in Montana’s history.
The Veseths chose a gift over a sale to preserve the ranch’s agricultural purpose for future generations. Dale, 63, explained that the escalating land prices and the influx of non‑rancher buyers have made it hard for family‑owned operations to survive. “A $20 million price tag doesn’t translate into a viable job,” he told Cowboy State Daily. “You need cattle, equipment, labor, and a workforce. Recruiting the next generation has become a challenge.”
The ranch’s legacy spans more than a century. Dale’s father and grandfather both ran cattle there. Over the past 35 years, he has honed a rotational grazing system that moves herds up to 170 times a year using remote‑controlled collars. The property now encompasses at least 76 homesteads and, when BLM grazing lands are included, once supported around 100 families. Today, only three families remain working the land.
RSA was founded in 2003 by ranchers who opposed the growing trend of outside entities buying northern Montana acreage. The organization’s mission is to keep land in productive use by cattle ranchers. Angel DeVries, RSA’s executive director, said the group emerged when ranchers felt the need to “steward the land” themselves. Communications director Haylie Shipp summed up the goal: “We want to ensure ranchers never have to sell their operations.”
The Veseths hope the donation will open opportunities for people who cannot afford to purchase land outright. With the average rancher now around 60 years old and only 12 % of full‑time ranchers under 35, RSA plans to create a forum that allows experienced ranchers to pass on their expertise and land stewardship to new generations. “I’m extremely happy I’m a rancher,” Dale said. “I think I had one of the few opportunities that most people will never have.”
This transfer underscores the broader trend of consolidation and the difficulty younger ranchers face in acquiring or inheriting large properties. By gifting the ranch to RSA, Dale and Janet aim to safeguard the land’s future and maintain its role as a cornerstone of rural community life.
