Montana rancher partners with Pheasants Forever to benefit both his cattle operation and local wildlife

Across America's grasslands, farmers and ranchers are working alongside Pheasants Forever biologists to put conservation on the landscape. One of the best examples of this is in Montana, where the Montana Grasslands Initiative is creating both high quality habitat and helping ranching operations continue their success.

Sterling Ballbach began working with Pheasants Forever recently, and has since seeded over 2,000 acres of his operation from farm ground into grasslands.

"Pheasants Forever biologists and I talked about the seed planting species, and it fit right in with my cattle," he said. "PF has been friendly, competent and knowledgeable — they've been very easy to work with."

Ballbach's cattle have reaped the benefits of this partnership, as have the wildlife that also call his land home. Together, they represent a perfect example of the vital cooperation between agriculture and conservation.

"If you see wildlife on your place, it's probably a good thing," Ballbach said. "There's room for wildlife and our livestock — it seems to me like a win-win situation."

Through cooperation like this, Pheasants Forever's Montana Grassland Initiative looks to increase both the quantity and quality of Montana's wildlife habitat by focusing on the state's grassland and sagebrush steppe ecosystems.

Grasslands and Sagebrush steppe are vital to the Montana upland experience — as well as to the state's culture, industry and wildlife. These crucial pieces of Montana's legacy are disappearing at an alarming rate. Over 30% of eastern Montana's grasslands have been broken or altered, and the state has seen a 34% decline in grassland bird populations. Over 1.5 million Montana acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) have expired in the last decade — and nationwide, 2.6 million acres of grasslands are lost every year.

With increased focus and emphasis on grasslands, Pheasants Forever will meet the challenges of this imperiled ecosystem. During the first year of the Montana Grasslands Initiative, partnerships between ranchers and PF team members have already impacted 311,446 acres of grasslands and opened 12,448 acres of public access.