Mannix Family Ranch 2021: A Year in Review

Dear Readers,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! As we have entered into the holiday season, we are filled with gratitude for this year, for this wonderful life, and for your support. It allows us to lead lives that we find deeply purposeful and fulfilling and to steward the resources that we have been entrusted with in the best way we know how. We have had a full and blessed year both professionally and personally. 

Our grass finished and direct to consumer business has been expanding through our delivery routes each weekend. In May, we expanded the northern route to include a location in Whitefish and Kalispell. We appreciate each and every purchase. In addition, we have entered into a partnership with two other Montana ranches, talented chefs, butchers, and creatives in the formation of Old Salt Co-op. The goal behind Old Salt is to offer “world class meats, from livestock raised with integrity, in Montana landscapes you know and care about” (oldsaltco-op.com). Old Salt is still in its infancy, but we have seen the launch of the Old Salt Outpost, which is a burger joint on Last Chance Gulch in Helena, MT. If you are in town, be sure to stop in for a burger, tallow fries, and a good bowl of chili! It has been fun to see this vision start to take shape. 

As a family, we have continued working through the process of ranch and business succession. Trying to imagine and plan a way to transition ranch management and ownership from one generation to the next in a way that keeps land, relationships, and businesses thriving, is incredibly complex and of the utmost importance to us. We believe that the next 5 to 10 years will be particularly challenging as the 5th generation begins to take over more responsibilities in management. We spend more time during the slower winter season meeting to discuss and work through these challenges. It is a process that is truly never ending, especially since the 6th generation continues to grow. Brent and Stacey’s daughter Ashley and her husband Taylor will be adding one to our fold in the spring of 2022! 

David Mannix, more commonly known as “Papa,” is very popular among the current members of the 6th generation. He is pictured here with Logan’s daughter Maya. Photo by Erica Mannix

Randy, Neil, and Brad spend the  majority of their winter time working to manage the ranch’s forested land. That time has been spread between several different forestry projects. They are currently working on two EQUIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program) projects through the Natural Resource Conservation Service. Through a federal TIP (Targeted Implementation Plan) program they have been working to clear some of the ranch's rangelands from tree encroachment. In addition, they are thinning some thick stands to increase tree merchantability, decrease disease and insect problems, and to help mitigate fire. They also have a small logging operation on our timber ground. For the last 4-5 years they have been working at our Raymond property, which belonged to my Grandmother’s family. Late last winter she joined us in touring the work they had been doing. Her pride not only in this timber work, but even more so in this place is evident.

Darlene Mannix, the only remaining member of the 4th generation and our fearless leader, visiting the stand of trees that Randy and his forestry crew has been working on for the last 4-5 years. Photos by Erica Mannix

In early April, we collaborated with the USFS on a controlled burn on some private ground as well as public ground that we lease in the summer. We worked with the Forest Service as well as a couple other partners to develop a plan to manage sage brush and conifer encroachment. As we recognize their role in the ecosystem, we did not wish to eradicate them, but to reduce them to give native grasses a competitive advantage. This was one of the first partnerships that they had done on private ground. We were pleased with the experience and look forward to seeing the results reveal themselves in the years to come. This year we were pleased with the diversity of native grasses and forbs that returned shortly after the burn.

Erica Mannix moving pairs out of the burn in July.

Last spring we moved our calving season later. Our main mother herd calved from the 20th of April through May. Our first-calf heifers started the 20th of May and calved throughout June. This allowed them to be turned out on green grass for most of their calving season as opposed to being fed hay. It also helped us avoid the bulk of the harsh spring snow storms. For the most part we had good weather, healthy calves, and fewer sleepless nights. In the beginning, these changes always present unexpected challenges, not the least of which included attempting to find the calf that old, sly cow gave birth to and promptly hid in the sagebrush. It’s incredible how many times you can drive past a well hidden newborn when trying to tag babies. In June, we struggled with some sickness in our first calf heifer calves. While some ranches that calve later in our valley have struggled with predation issues, we have been fortunate so far. We continue to keep this issue in mind as we move forward. We are currently working through our plan for the next calving season and trying to find ways to learn from and mitigate the challenges. 

A calf hides in the newly green grass waiting for its mother to return. Photo by Erica Mannix

A first-calf heifer cleans her newborn calf in the late May sunshine. Photo by Erica Mannix

While much of the West has been suffering severe drought, we have been fortunate. We had adequate moisture and a decent growing season. We had an average hay crop, baling most of it and again leaving some in swaths for winter grazing (which we are just now starting to graze). Our busy summer season came and went in a blur. We even managed to sneak a new family member into the mix, as Bryan and Kate were married on a beautiful, clear day in August. While she has already been part of our team and family, we were excited to make it official and to celebrate it fully. We are thrilled to be able to keep her held hostage indefinitely. 

Kate and Bryan were married on August 28 at the Raymond Ranch. This photo includes her parents, Tom and Sheila Clyatt, and Bryan’s parents, Brent and Stacey Mannix. Photo by Alexis Bonogofsky

The ranch hosted several workshops this year. In June, the New Agrarian Apprentices from the Quivira Coalition came for a Range Workshop with Katie Mieklejohn from Ranch Advisory Partners. They were able to look at various locations of native range and learn how to assess it for overall health. In August the NAP Apprentices returned for a Low Stress Livestock Handling Workshop with Whit Hibbard. In late September, the ranch hosted a Field Day sponsored by the Quivira Coalition that focused on Partnerships in Ranching and Land Stewardship. We were joined by partners, such as the Blackfoot Challenge, Trout Unlimited, and Old Salt Co-op, to talk about how we are working with like-minded people to better steward our resources and strengthen our communities. We continue to be grateful for the wonderful partners in our valley without whom we would not be able to do what we do. 

The 2021 New Agrarian Apprentices at the Low-Stress Livestock Handling Workshop on the ranch in August. Photo by Alexis Bonogofsky

As a family, we are so fortunate and incredibly grateful for this life and for your support. We hope you have a very Merry Christmas and wish you well in the new year to come!