View From the Range           01/16 08:55

   Montana Family Shares View From the Range

   DTN's View From the Range series will follow the Stark family's Montana 
cattle ranch, documenting their cow-calf operation and hay business year-round.

Jennifer Carrico
DTN Senior Livestock Editor

   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 
east-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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