View From the Range

REDFIELD, Iowa (DTN) -- Year three of DTN's View From the Range series is launching with the introduction of the first of two ranching families we are profiling in 2026: the Stark Family, from Baker, Montana.

Through the year we will follow all aspects of this cattle operation, from calving to weaning and range management to how this family got started in ranching.

The ranch is run by Tristan and Shaylyn Stark, who have young children Wayne, Lainey, and a baby soon to join them. The family raises cattle in eas-central Montana.

Tristan is a fourth-generation Montana rancher and Shaylyn moved to the area when she was a sophomore in high school. She also has a ranching and livestock background. The two were high school sweethearts and after graduation each went their own way for college -- Tristan in Arizona and Shaylyn in Wyoming.

Upon Tristan's return to the ranch in July 2016, his grandfather was ready to retire. He got started when he took over one of his grandfather's land leases and purchased bred heifers from his parents. Tristan established S Bar K Cattle and Hay in 2017. After Shaylyn finished college, she returned to Baker, and the two were married in September 2021.

The ranch is located in east-central Montana, not far from the North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming state lines. The area is plains land and while they don't typically have a lot of snow, the bitter winter cold makes cow management a challenge at times.

Besides having a large commercial cow-calf operation, the Starks have an established hay business, making hay for their own ranch and selling to numerous other operations.

As one of the two families in DTN's View From the Range series this year, the Stark family will show how they manage their cow herd, make improvements on the ranch and plan for their family's future in agriculture in Montana.

Jennifer Carrico can be reached at jennifer.carrico@dtn.com

Follow her on social platform X @JennCattleGal

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