Diverse Grasslands and Business Ops

Owner and operator at Black Leg Ranch in central North Dakota, Jerry will be the first to tell you his angus beef operation is “completely nontraditional.”  

At Black Leg Ranch, the Doans host weddings, hunters and even brew beer—all while running cattle on their 17,000 acres. A homestead dating back to 1882 and long managed conventionally for grazing and farming, Jerry first decided to start making changes in the ‘80s. At the time, the ranch not only was struggling to remain profitable but, as he was finding, wasn’t too much fun anymore. It didn’t take long for Jerry to learn that working with nature could not only restore the health of their grasslands but also bring some enjoyment back to ranching.