Winter Wheat Farm on Little Bighorn

Farm Description

Enjoy tremendous production on this Montana dryland farm. With wells, springs, reservoirs, 14 inches of rainfall, very little erodible land, and deep topsoils, this is some of the best land in Montana, along the Little Bighorn River. Comes with +/- 4300 deeded acres and +/- 5650 leased acres for plenty of space to grow winter wheat in a milder climate than elsewhere in Montana, with the earliest harvest in the state.

Land

This Montana farm offers you extraordinary land for productive dryland wheat farming that can be divided up into two main parcels and sold separately as Camp 1 and Yellow Pansy The property consists mainly of cropland with some grass. A total of 2286 deeded acres and 552 leased acres (totally 2838 acres) are currently in a CRP program that pull in payments of about +/- These contracts expire in the next few years.

For soils, this property offers you some of the best land in Montana, with very little erodible land and deep topsoils. This is winter wheat country, with 14 inches of rainfall in the area (compared to 12 inches in the Golden Triangle, north of Great Falls) and a somewhat warmer climate than much of the rest of Montana. This allows you to be one of the first places in the state to harvest.

The water table is only 20-30 feet down, so you can have water pretty much wherever you want. A well at 60 feet will give you 2-3 gallons a minute of livestock-quality water. The property currently has 3 wells, a few springs, 4 reservoirs, and some drainages and creeks that can run year round in wetter years. The Little Bighorn River is located to the east of the property, and the Bighorn River is located to the west, providing a habitat for wildlife and opportunities for fishing on a world-renowned trout fishery.

You'll love seeing the owls and the hawks, the geese that land on the farm in the fall, and the frogs whose chorus might just drown out your conversation in the spring. You'll catch sight of antelope, deer, and stray elk on the property. Hunting is available for antelope, geese, pheasant, and grouse.

Edible chokecherries and wild plums grow on the property, which you can pick and use for jam and other recipes.

History is all around you as you walk the property. General Custer and his men camped in the area before the battle of Little Bighorn, site of the famous Custer's Last Stand. The battlefield itself is visible from most parts of the farm. Later, in the early part of the 20th century, the property belonged to Thomas Campbell, Jr, who became the largest landowner in the world at the time, owning thousands of acres and innovating in methods to grow more wheat at a low cost. The historic Campbell house has now been moved to a museum in Grand Forks, where it is open to the public for tours.

Buildings And Improvements

The buildings include a house, machine shed, shop, granary, and 2 Quonsets.

The house is approximately 1000 square feet with 2 bedrooms and one bath. It was built over 100 years ago and was completely remodeled in the 1980S. It is currently occupied by a tenant who watches the property.

The other buildings were built approximately in the 1960S.

• Machine shed: An open-face shed that stores 5 machines (around 80 feet by 30 feet)

• Shop: A shop for small tractors

• Grain bin: holds approximately 22,000 bushels

• Quonset hut: holds approximately 25,000 bushels

There is an additional Quonset hut with electricity that holds approximately 25,000 bushels of grain. There is a small building site with water and sewer, where you could build or park a trailer during harvest.

Activities/Amenities

The local area is full of things to do and places to see, with lots of recreation, camping, and hiking in the nearby Bighorn and Wolf Mountains. There is also plenty of hunting and fishing in the local area. The Yellowtail Dam, part of the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, is located 45 miles south of Hardin and forms a reservoir (the Bighorn Lake) which offers great boating and fishing. The overflow of the dam gives you world class trout fishing at the lower Bighorn River.

For the history buffs, Custer's battlefield and cemetery is right down the road. Another historic site is the John B. Kendrick Mansion, located in Sheridan. Trail End, is the name of this historic home that was built from 1908 to 1913 and inhabited until 1933 by Wyoming governor and U.S. Senator John B. Kendrick and family.

Billings, MT, is the nearest city, with the best Montana has to offer, and it is very doable to make your home in Billings and drive back and forth to the farm. This is a great option for families who want to live closer to schools and additional job opportunities.

Sheridan, WY, just over an hour to the south, is a wealthier community with their own polo ground, a huge community center, and excellent shopping and dining. It's just the right mixture of access to amenities and being surrounded by wide open spaces.