B Bar Gazette
B Bar Gazette – October 2024
B Bar Gazette Issue #17 October 2024 Hello friends,As the aspen leaves flutter in golden hues and the cool wind whispers of winter's approach, Tom Miner Basin finds itself in a moment of transition. The land breathes with the rhythm of change, a sacred dance between seasons that we're privileged to witness. Jackson's flight over the basin revealed a tapestry of beige and brown, punctuated by the vibrant yellow of turning aspens and emerald oases of irrigated pastures. From ...
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B Bar Gazette – September 2024
B Bar Gazette Issue #16 September 2024 Hello friends of B Bar, As we ascended the Elk Loop trail on Headquarters Ridge, heading north toward Upper Reed Meadow, our group of hikers eagerly quickened their pace to reach the best wildlife viewing spots. From our vantage point, we were thrilled to spot 13 grizzly bears with the naked eye, binoculars, and a spotting scope. Despite being lifelong Montanans, none of the 11 guests attending the Mountain Mindfulness Yoga Retreat had e...
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B Bar Gazette – August 2024
B Bar Gazette Issue #15 August 2024 A dreary tone set by thick smoke clouds the Paradise Valley Floor. Fumes from fires across Montana have blown in over the last few weeks. One was the Shank Basin Fire, a 345-acre burn that Mihail was called on to help contain as a neighbor in Big Timber. Adding to the moody afternoon, a storm front from the West begins to plop acorn-sized raindrops on my windshield. I pray that this hyper-localized storm reaches the active burns in desperate nee...
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B Bar Gazette – July 2024
B Bar Gazette Issue #14 July 2024 Howdy B Bar friends and family, The drive up Tom Miner Creek road cuts through a purple sea of lupine. A slight breeze gently sways the flowers like tides pulled by the moon. Recently, under a magnificent starscape, the new moon brought about the three-week-long increase of insect life that Montanans anticipate each year. Remembering the bone-chilling temperatures from last winter, we’re grateful for the warmth of 90-degree weather...
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B Bar Gazette – June 2024
B Bar Gazette Issue #13 June 2024 Howdy friends,Thursday after work, a few of us walked up headquarters ridge overlooking the Reed meadow and across Paradise Valley. Bears absent from the far side of our binoculars turned our inspection to the abundant life around us. Emigrant Peak on the western edge of the Absaroka Range in Paradise Valley. Patches of arnica, larkspur, and glacier lily created a conversation platform instilled by Jada-Jo wondering the favorite part of our ...
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B Bar Gazette – May 2024
B Bar Gazette Issue #12 May 2024 B Bar Ranch isn't just a place; it's a state of mind.Wandering from yurt to pond's edge in a post-yoga bliss encompasses more than just the crunch of gravel underfoot, the touch of a breeze on sweaty skin, and a deep breath of fresh mountain air. Your parasympathetic nervous system retreats to a sense of calm it has been deprived of in the hustle and bustle of daily life. This heightened awareness allows you to tune into your surroundings and...
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B Bar Gazette – May 2024 Updated
B Bar Gazette Issue #11 April 2024 Hey B Bar Family, Spring is a stubborn season 6,600’ high in the mountains of Tom Miner Basin. The unfamiliar comfort of vitamin D warming forearms and knees inevitably correlates with wet and muddy feet. Balmy weather is fleeting as the next storm rolls in over Specimen Ridge delivering dense grapple snow. Even still, the first sandhill crane tenants of the season stride along the open water of Skully Creek for a drink. While the crimson caps ...
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B Bar Gazette – March 2024
B Bar Gazette Issue #10 March 2024 Hi B Bar Friends,Rarely do we feel alone at B Bar. If a big question arises on the Ranch, someone in the agricultural community usually addresses it. At the Soil Symposium we recently attended, influential speakers shared ideas and actions that convey a bright future for sustainable agriculture. Shea Kennedy, B Bar's cattle and grazing coordinator, was inspired by Kelsey Scott's work with the Intertribal Agriculture Council and 4H in which chi...
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B Bar Gazette – February 2024
B Bar Gazette Issue #9 February 2024 Hi B Bar Family,A topic of seemingly eternal interest, the weather is much on our minds these days. Statewide, we are experiencing the lowest average snowpack since 1991 according to data from the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. The Upper Yellowstone watershed is 63% of normal. Challenges resulting from low snow totals span the state. Teton Pass ski area North of Great Falls is experiencing a 55-year moisture low and de...
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B Bar Gazette – January 2024
B Bar Gazette Issue #8 January 2024 Howdy B Bar family, The ground temperature in Big Timber is -40, reaching as low as -60 with wind chill. Mihail and I meet on his 10th work anniversary and decide that a phone call would be the warmer option before his favorite dinner: B Bar burgers. He suggests that salt, pepper, and butter to grease a cast-iron pan are the best ways to enjoy the taste of our grass-fed and finished beef. Buy Organic Ground Beef Mihail looks prou...
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