A note from our Editor in Chief, Rebecca Clark

I am a proud rancher’s daughter, having grown up learning how to live within the duality of the Montana landscape: a calm, sprawling beauty with an air of untamable harshness. Within that duality, there is a struggle for survival as you work alongside the land, discovering how to listen to every nuance of nature. In thinking about this edition of the Bitterroot, I wanted to draw on that notion of what it means to persevere and survive within the Montana landscape.  

Growing up in agriculture forges deep connections to the landscape and fosters a deep appreciation for each aspect of the land. It allows you to experience firsthand just how rewarding a lifestyle it is despite the difficulties it presents. There is a belief that you do not choose agriculture; rather, agriculture chooses you. This notion hits home for me, calling for me to follow in the footsteps of my family. Even as I forge ahead with my own agricultural aspirations, I remain aware of the many challenges the agricultural industry faces concerning our future.  

Family farms and ranches not only find themselves engaged in a struggle to survive against the harshness of the landscape—such as drought or harsh winters—but also in an emotional struggle as they work to find ways to keep their operations alive. The USDA estimates that 70% of U.S. farmland will change hands in the next 20 years, but this struggle stems from the fact that many of these farms and ranches don’t have another generation to take over. In Montana, the number of young farmers and ranchers has slightly increased in recent years according to US Census data, but it hasn’t been enough to mitigate the concerns surrounding the future of many of these farms and ranches. In facing these challenges, Montana farmers and ranchers must rely on pure determination as well as on each other. 

The agricultural community has always been one driven by pure grit, a value I have found myself blessed to grow up surrounded by. It is a value I directly associate with my father, the man who taught me what it means to survive and how to be a strong woman in agriculture. Grit is the embodiment of perseverance, a powerful notion that calls for the courage to weather the challenges life presents us. To me, it is a strong belief that despite the struggle for survival, the agricultural industry in Montana will remain as steady and strong as the defining characteristics of the landscape: the majestic rivers, rugged mountains, and open spaces. 

Within this magazine, there are not only stories of grit within the agricultural community, but also within the many communities that exist within the Montana landscape. Grit is not inherently tied to one community; rather, it becomes a value that allows communities to understand one another. It creates connection. No matter where you look, you will find elements of survival and grit woven into the history of Montana communities, and even into the history of Montana itself.  

We can see grit within the landscape, through the rivers that offer lifestyles or through the natural wonders that create and connect communities. There is grit within those who tend to the land and those who thrive by braving Montana’s formidable terrain. We can see grit within Native communities, as they persevere through generations of hardship and strive to keep their traditions alive. Our cities are built on gritty history and survive because of the determination that has been woven into their foundations. Through it all, we find one connecting thread: the thread of grit.  

Grit is not simply a method of survival; grit is also a source of inspiration from which we can draw strength. At its core, it is what holds us together and creates communities. Grit is a sense of hope, allowing us to forge ahead in an ever-changing world.