Denny Iverson is a 4th generation cattle rancher in Potomac, Montana. The current drought is a threat to the agriculture in the region. The creek running through the pastures, which are used for irrigation, is mostly dry barring a few spots of stagnant water. If the drought doesn’t end, next year Iverson Ranch would have to consider selling some of its cattle.
Despite having sold the ranch to his son-in-law and nephew, Denny continues to work on the ranch. He says, ranchers are “tied to the land and the land gives them a sense of belonging.”
For Denny, ranching gives him purpose – it’s a way for him to contribute to society. Denny affirms, “Everyone can contribute to society…and have a place in the world.” Beyond being a provider of food, the ranch is “a healthy landscape and is beneficial to the community.”
It supports the wildlife, which ensures an environment that people can enjoy. The cattle satiate people’s hunger, and the environment “feeds their soul.”
At the age of 67, the physical labor of working the ranch helps him maintain his health, which he says, keeps him feeling “10 years younger.”
However, he is a peace with the reality that the time will come for him to move on from his identity as a “rancher,” and he doesn’t tie his self-image solely to the ranch. A personal legacy isn’t something Denny particularly thinks about. He would rather simply be known for being a “good husband, a good father, and a good friend.”
And despite working on the ranch on a near daily basis he has learned to relax more, taking time for his family – from Friday “date nights” with his wife to taking his grandchildren on horse rides.
While he does have financial vested interest in the ranch, his true interest is in the souls of his family, his community and his own. The droughts are not only a threat to Iverson’s ranch, and the agricultural community as a whole, they are a threat to the fabric of our being.
