Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Wildrye Distilling of Bozeman was briskly meeting the demands of restaurants, bars and liquor stores statewide. Once the immediacy and severity of the virulent disease became the new reality in Gallatin County, partners Ben Ganser and Philip Sullivan decided they needed to responsibly recalibrate their mode of production. 

When the pandemic hit, a local livestock video auctioning company stepped up to help area ranchers, ensuring them that despite the COVID-19 restraints, their annual production sale could still take place. Across the region, ranchers who had never utilized on-line auctioning turned to the internet to make sure their cattle sold. 

Commercially raising bees fits perfectly into Montana’s rich agricultural and ranching heritage. It just involves dealing with smaller livestock. But even with beekeeping’s significant contribution to the Montana agricultural scene, it’s not all honey and sunshine.

Fire up those grills for some fun summer recipes.

Because of the pandemic, the grandstands have been empty. The bull riders as well as the spectators are under stay-at-home orders. As with all rodeo events, all PBR events are canceled for the time being because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scrolling through Instagram a few weeks back, seeing how other musicians were approaching their live stream, I stumbled upon a songwriting challenge by Fry. She sang the words above, followed by examples of compassion she’d witnessed during the global coronavirus pandemic: “It’s a grandma sewing masks, it’s the ones without giving back/it’s a picture of a doctor head in hands/trying to save our fellow man.”

Grocery stores were among the few places where Montanans could actually visit while under the stay-at-home order from late March to late April, and these specific businesses experienced some good things, some bad things, and catered to the hungry.

At 6-foot-6 with broad shoulders and a deep, husky voice, Tony can be an intimidating force. He has to be, he and his deputies patrol a lot of territory. But under the tough exterior is a gentle man who is well liked and highly respected in his community.

The summer morning was just beginning as Trent Petersen drove down the gravel back roads from Roberts to Joliet. Trent, 17,  was on his way to join the Nobull Cattle Artificial Insemination team. Meeting at Centana Feedyard in Joliet, the team planned to artificially inseminate a group of registered heifers.

Jean is serving up Huckleberry crisp and Dutch Oven dinners this fall!

Working on his own at Livingston Anvil Works, Jem Blueher is something of a rebel. Backed by the might of aged, gritty equipment, he restores rare horse-drawn vehicles, tools, and machinery through rigorous application.

It was a tough blow, but Montanans don’t give up easily. With some ingenuity and a can-do attitude, a few activities continued, albeit a little different than they had been in the past. Here are a few events that found a way to carry on.  

The romance of the story is that just over seven years ago, Evan’s father, John Helle, and Robert “Bernie” Bernthal, a renowned clothing manufacturer, hatched the idea of using Helle wool from the Helle Rambouillet flock to come up with a line of wool clothing that would give consumers 100 percent American-made and -sourced clothing. The men struck a deal while skiing on nearby Maverick Mountain as they shared a chairlift. 

Every day, Virgil climbs the steep steps to his office in the loft of the store and oversees the business that he and his partner J.Q. Robbins founded in 1947. Walking through the door at Gust’s is like stepping into a time machine and turning the dial back 70-plus years, except that the merchandise is perfect for the needs of the small community in 2020.

Hannah Todd walked quietly through the knee-deep grass toward a small herd of cattle. Carrying a bucket of feed and a halter, she stopped and waited as a heifer came forward and pushed her nose into the bucket. Hannah laughed, rubbed the heifer between the ears and down her back and placed the bucket on the ground for her. 

Ephraim Strain led the small parade sitting high atop the bright red-and-yellow stagecoach, his brother, Yoseph rode shotgun. He drove 6 Up, meaning three teams of horses, as they crossed the Yellowstone River bridge and headed into town. 

Bill Brinkel might not live in the country anymore, but country still most definitely defines him. The 90-year-old retired wheat farmer was born and raised near Broadview where he farmed until he was in his late 70s.

Haven Meged remembers roping so late into the night that he and his best friend illuminated the arena with the headlights of three tractors and two trucks. They used a lime green lariat rope so they could see where their loop was heading as they practiced roping young calves. 

Jean Duffey lives at the family homestead where she and her late husband raised five children. After the death of her in-laws and husband, she remodeled the original log home, added on to it, and for years it was a popular bed and breakfast. 

Huckleberry Burger offers a bit of spice to a basic 100% beef burger and Morel Mushrooms coincides with our article on tips for foraging for food in the springtime. Bon appetit!