Leffingwell Cattle Company
Broadus, Montana
We are not saying you will learn everything there is to know about running 500 head of cattle and 30 head of horses on a 15,000-acre ranch in just a week. But we do promise extensive cattle work on horseback throughout your stay – and that you’ll leave with new skills and a new perspective on the ranching way of life.
Leffingwells made their way to Montana at the turn of the 19th century and for five generations have been cattle ranching and sharing their way of life with guests. In 2022 they expanded their cattle operation and relocated from the mountains of southwestern Montana to the present ranch five miles northeast of the small town of Broadus, in the prairie lands of southeastern Montana.
Currently there are two generations of the family working on the no-nonsense cattle ranch. Mike and Maria are taking a bit of a step back as they hand more of the reins to Mary and Dustin. Following in her father’s footsteps, Mary will be your host when you are horseback, and Dustin will have supper on the table when you get back home! The all-inclusive fee means you’ll enjoy most meals with Mary and Dustin and their children in their home dining hall.
The ranch runs from along the Powder River with alfalfa fields in the bottom land extending along sagebrush and juniper canyons up to grass covered rolling prairie and hill country dotted with magnificent rock formations. The west end is steep and timbered. Coming from the closest gate in summer country, it is about 8 miles to the fall corrals. And no matter where you find yourself, you’ll be sheltered by a star-speckled sky, and wrapped in peace and quiet.
Activities
Guests enjoy open range riding and remote beautiful scenery in the heart of generational ranching country. Depending on the time of year, experienced riders will be part of calving, branding, doctoring, roping, sorting, weaning, gathering and cattle drives.
- Cow calving on the range starts the middle of March. The calving grounds are called the “good luck pasture” because of its rough and varied topography. The slogan is “good luck finding the pairs, they are out there somewhere!”
- Branding week is the end of May and it involves gathering and branding in groups.
- The cattle drives are in the late spring and early summer. Cow-calf pairs will spend the summer months on native grassland and the work includes riding herd health, and paying attention to water, salt and mineral.
- September is when the herds are collected and trailed to fall grazing areas closer to headquarters. It is all about gathering from summer range, sorting, pulling the bulls, preg testing the cows, and then trailing out to fall grasslands with first the heifer bunch and then the cow herd.
Channel your inner Herdsman! For the person who really wants to gain an understanding of cattle management there is a two-week window later in the fall toward the end of October with focus on what matters for the continued success of the ranch’s reputation Black Angus herd. Weaning. Sorting bulls, heifers, and steers. Evaluating the particulars of the breeding genetics. Determining TMR (Total Mix Ration) for the groups of weanlings pampered in the feedlot. Trailing the cows from headquarters back to fall pasture is the reward for a job well done.
Accommodations
Mary calls the guest house their “Cow Camp”—it has all the basics … simple but comfortable. There are two bedrooms (each with a double bed), one bathroom, a living room, and recently remodeled kitchen. They specialize in very small groups—taking only two to four guests.
Fees are all inclusive. Breakfast is “go at your own pace” … and what that means is they will stock your guest house’s fully furnished kitchen with the kind of breakfast foods you like so you can cook breakfast on your own schedule and then join the ranch family first thing in the morning. For lunch break depending on the seasonal activity, you might be sitting around the dining table with the family or enjoying a saddle bag lunch on the range. Supper features home-cooked meals, kindness, and hospitality all shared family-style around the dining room table with Mary and Dustin and their children in their home. Many of Dustin’s specialties are from previous generations’ recipes found in great-grandma Leffingwell’s cook book aptly called Sagebrush and Snowdrifts.
Transportation
The Leffingwell Cattle Company is located mid-way between Billings, Montana and Rapid City, South Dakota, (three hours in either direction). The closest airport is just a little more than an hour away from the ranch in Gillette, Wyoming. Whichever route you take, you’ll need a rental car.
Contact & Booking
Think of me as a native Montanan and a travel coordinator who is skilled as a matchmaker. Let me know your interests. I can put you in touch with ranchers whose Montana roots date back 100 years.
One of a Kind Experiences
Working ranch vacations offer more than just horseback riding. Guests participate in seasonal ranch activities while learning about conservation practices and sustainable ranching in the Rocky Mountains. Not just a seminar in ranching, we invite you to be part of the daily routine.Saddle Up and experience a part of the Old West that still exists. Everything from cattle drives and roundups, to trail rides and pack trips into the wilderness.
Meet Karen, Your Personal Working Ranch Vacation Guide.
Think of me as a native Montanan and a travel coordinator who is skilled as a matchmaker. Let me know your interests. I can put you in touch with ranchers whose Montana roots date back 100 years.