Distinctly Montana Magazine

too difficult a combination when adding to the mix small posses of expectant city slickers. cows trumped dudes. THE HERD At times, it seems the Wickens’ cattle are almost an afterthought, that is until another newborn Angus plops black and wet onto the pasture and needs tagging or triage. Or until Eric, with degrees in range science and ranch manage- ment, makes his first Internet cattle buy of 40 or so Billings heifers. “Don’t think I’ll do that again,” he says as he eye- balls the nearby holding pen, “I think I got a good bunch, but I really kind of like to see them up close before I buy.” In the end, The land is rough-and-tumble, UNFORGIVING OF ABUSE OR SILLINESS. Matt and Eric are ranchers at heart, and they are deter- mined to bring the cattle business back from the teetering edge of profit-or-loss. They know they’ll hear of comments and advice from neighboring ranchers, about how they’re fixin’ to “sell the factory,” or that birthing calves in June is “just not right,” but after 30-plus years of watching their father struggle to make generations of cattle turn a buck, they know that traditional ranching needs change. As Eric tells it, “With margins so tight in the cow-calf industry, we are shifting the ranch to a more yearling-based business.” John believes his sons will change Wickens’ ranching for the better. He is a man who can accept change in a busi- ness where change is viewed with suspicion and mired in the muck of tradition. “I’ve had my run,” he says, “now let’s see what they can do.” SUSTAINABILITY This attention to profitability of the cattle operation is reflected in the Wickens’ attention to the care and pres- ervation of their ranch. The land is rough-and-tumble, unforgiving of abuse or silliness. John tells the story of a Georgia couple who made a large land purchase near the Judith River some years ago, creating a housing subdivi- sion for...whom? The chuckles, snorts, and head-wags of long-time area ranchers were predictive. No offers were made, no lots were sold, and the land today looks and lies just the same as it has for mil- lennia. No one knows where the Georgia couple is today. They seemed to disappear as suddenly as they had come. Rather, the Wickens’ believe, they will let the land guide their business decisions. Though a brief, disappointing series of discussions with The Nature Conservancy resulted in no conservation easements, their plaque for “Undaunted Stewardship” is proudly displayed as both a challenge and a reminder of their ranch legacy. Ranch decisions—business decisions—are made after much discussion and forethought, resulting in improvements like responsible waterlines and cross-fencing, created in part- nership with the Natural Resource Conservation Service. Funding for stewardship, like so many other things these days, has been vilified as “pork,” now limiting the ability of the Wickens’ to continue some sustainable activities. “Man- aging rangeland is a much an art as a science,” Eric muses. “That’s my favorite part of ranching, improving the landscape so future people, cattle, and wildlife will be able to thrive on this piece of ground we are so blessed to take care of.” FAMILY Like a trail horse, no matter how far the Wickens family wanders from traditional ranching, it will follow a mean- der back to its core tradition. That tradition is inextricably bound with three generations of a family, which still honor the idea behind the small, original homestead of 1911. The promise of self-sufficiency and the everyday chal- lenge of Montana ranching have brought them through a full century of successes and failures. On a chilly Saturday night at Eric and Emma’s home a new generation of Wickens children play happily among 82 DISTINCTLY MONTANA • SUMMER 2011

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