Passing down the farm

Town Crier “Briefs from the Region” (2) – 9/1/20

Despite its rich soil and agricultural history, the land around Bozeman and Gallatin Valley is currently more profitable to sell to developers, a fact many families who bought land for farm and ranch purposes generations ago are coming to terms with. As their parents age, much of the younger generation is struggling to make a living while also preserving what they believe makes Montana what it is.

“Even if we sold it, we’d never be able to buy what we have,” Linda Dykstra told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle of her family’s farm between Four Corners and Belgrade. “It’s impossible. If we did sell it, we’d have to move out of the valley to even afford anything.”