Bart grew up on the ranch, and brings ample experience and an inherent understanding of cattle and horses. He is a talented woodworker and metalworker, and he even dabbles in mechanics, especially when it concerns our 1964 International pickup truck. He can fix or build almost anything we need on the ranch!
Heather grew up in Rochester, New York, surrounded by rolling hills of farmland and apple orchards. She was fascinated by the local living history museum, and by the tales in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books about life on the prairie. After earning her bachelor’s degree in biology, she landed in Montana and was immediately hooked on the wide open spaces and relaxed atmosphere.
We met in Billings in 2008, and together dreamed of living closer to the land. In 2014, we moved north and started Coulee Creek Ranch on land that the Bilden family has called home since Bart’s great-grandfather Enoch Bilden began ranching here in the late 1800s. We now raise Red Angus cattle, along with some chickens, and occasionally a few pigs.
Our Crew
Thank you to the Red Ants Pants Foundation for believing in our dream and supporting our work. They awarded us a generous grant to purchase gates for our new corrals. We are grateful we can provide a low-stress handling experience to our cattle with these modern, efficient corrals
Thank you to the American Farmland Trust for helping fund the purchase of a horse-drawn sprayer. As part of our mission to enhance the health of the landscape, we are using the sprayer to add organic soil amendments to our fields. These products nourish the soil microbes that in turn feed our plants. When our grasses are healthier, then our cattle are healthier, and ultimately, our beef is more nutritious and delicious.
Coulee Creek Ranch 