Western Livestock Journal recently visited IX Ranch. An excerpt from the magazine article can be read below.
“After the visit to Fort Benton, the tour pressed on to the IX Ranch of Big Sandy where there was a great lunch waiting for them. Three generations strong, the ranch was established under its current name in 1955 when purchased by Arthur Roth, Jr. Previously it was the North Montana Cattle Company in the 1880’s. In the 1890’s, it became the McNamara & Marlow (M&M) ranch after owners Cornelius John McNamara and Thomas Marlow. After starting in sheep, then transitioning to Hereford cattle, the ranch became McNamara Cattle Company.
The IX Ranch is located in the mixed-grass prairie of north central Montana, and extends through the southern edge of the Bear Paw Mountain Range towards the Missouri River. The Ranch encompasses a wide variety of terrain, from rolling hills and willow creek bottoms, to jagged river breaks and mountains. Since 1955, the ranch’s owners and managers have striven to produce high-quality feeder cattle while maintaining the natural resources of the ranch.
WLJ tour members heard from Richard Roth, vice president of the ranch, about the operations. Richard returned to the ranch after 10 years in the field of agricultural commodity marketing. He is responsible for day-to-day activities, as well as marketing, fiscal management, and overall financial performance of the ranch.
The ranch has been raising horses of various sorts for over a century. In 1901, when Herefords were first imported to improve local bloodlines, so too were draft horses for the same reason. In the 1960’s, the ranch bred Quarter Horses from famous sires, including Poco Beuno and King P234.”
