The Lower Yellowstone Ranch is located within five miles of Sidney, Montana. The ranch consists of 2,685± deeded acres of ruggedly beautiful land that exemplifies what makes eastern Montana special. While the ranch doesn’t have a traditional set of headquarters, it’s ideally sited where it can be utilized as a part of a larger operation or as a stand-alone seasonal grazing unit. Being situated adjacent to State Highway 23 is very convenient, as are the several miles of oilfield access roads that traverse part of the ranch. The ranch has a varied topography that provides grazing, habitat, and beauty in a single package in a well-situated location.
The ranch consists of 2,685± deeded acres of ruggedly beautiful land that exemplifies what makes eastern Montana special. While the ranch doesn’t have a traditional set of headquarters, it’s ideally sited where it can be utilized as a part of a larger operation or as a stand-alone seasonal grazing unit.
It’s not often that a ranch comes on the market that is a simple and pleasing combination of grazing, hunting, and convenient access. The Lower Yellowstone Ranch is all of these plus a blank canvas for the buyer who wants to site and build infrastructure as they see fit. Future owners can operate this as a part of a larger operation or as a seasonal standalone grazing operation – both work.
The ranch is slightly over a mile and a half west of the Little Missouri National Grasslands, which at one million plus acres, is the largest national grassland in the United States. Fort Union and the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers are within thirty miles of the ranch.
Sidney provides nearly all goods and services that one might need. The closest regional hub is Williston, North Dakota, an hour northeast of the ranch. Williston is home to the Williston Basin International Airport, which boasts a 7,501-foot runway and has regular flights to Denver and Minneapolis-Saint Paul, as well as seasonal nonstop service to Las Vegas.
Sidney’s daily temperature extremes vary between summer highs in the mid-eighties and winter lows in the single digits. Humidity is generally low, which tends to make temperature extremes feel less uncomfortable. Annual precipitation averages slightly over 14 inches, with the wettest months being May, June, and July. Despite its Montana location, the annual average snowfall is slightly less than 33 inches.
Richland County was founded in 1914 and named after the fertile farmland found in the area, but the county’s roots can be traced back to the late 1800s when the area was primarily used for ranching and farming. In 1908, the Great Northern Railway completed a line through the area, which helped to spur the growth of the local economy.
During the early part of the 20th century, Richland County was primarily an agricultural area, with wheat and sugar beets being the main crops. However, the discovery of oil in the 1950s and 1960s brought a significant change to the local economy. In recent years, oil and gas development in the Bakken Formation has led to a significant increase in oil and gas production as well as the various businesses that support the industry.
Today, Richland County is still an important agricultural area producing a wide array of crops as well as home to the businesses associated with the oil and gas industry.
Richland County boasts a population of approximately 11,000 people, which has had relatively little variation over the last century. The county seat is Sidney, where a majority of the population resides.
The Lower Yellowstone Ranch improvements consist of two small sets of corrals and various livestock water installations. The corrals are relatively simple steel structures that are fully functional and easily accessible but not fancy.
Livestock water is provided via four reservoirs, two conventional wells, and one artesian well that supply four water tanks. The artesian well is 1,233 feet deep, produces 30 gpm, and has a closed-in pressure of 52 psi. Given the current location of water improvements, it would be relatively simple to extend one or more pipelines and improve livestock distribution on the ranch.
The sole water right is for an artesian well that is located very close to the center of the ranch.
All minerals and mineral and royalty rights owned by the seller will transfer with the sale of the real property.
Annual property taxes are estimated at $697 based upon past years.
In addition to hunting on and around the ranch, the nearby Yellowstone River is home to a wide array of fish, including paddlefish, smallmouth bass, sauger, northern pike, walleye, shovelnose sturgeon, and channel catfish. Intake Diversion Dam, which is known as the area’s premier paddlefish location, is a mere forty miles upstream from the ranch.
Montana boasts some of the longest hunting seasons in the United States, providing ample opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors from mid-August through mid-January.
One doesn’t need to go to the Missouri River to find “the breaks.” The brushy draws and steep coulees on the Lower Yellowstone Ranch are home to many mule deer as well as the occasional white-tailed deer. Be prepared to encounter sharptailed grouse, Hungarian partridges, and pheasants.
The lower Yellowstone River valley is a hunting and fishing mecca. Upon entering the ranch, one can pursue mule deer, numerous species of waterfowl, pheasants, sharptailed grouse, and Hungarian partridge while potentially encountering white-tailed deer and antelope.
The waterfowl hunting along the lower Yellowstone is extraordinary.
Given the ranch’s extremely convenient location bordering Montana State Highway 23 and just five miles from Sidney, this ranch is a great location for seasonal livestock grazing that would complement an existing ranch operation. Under current operating conditions, we estimate carrying capacity at 900 Animal Unit Months (AUMs) per year.
