Temperatures along the Milk River near Malta, Montana hovered close to 30 below zero on December 20th, 2008. Rancher Todd Young had undergone double knee surgery the day before and was on his way home, unaware of conditions at the ranch.
Todd and Sonia’s oldest son Laremy was home, planning to move their cattle to a different pasture. In view of nature’s fury, though, he made the wise decision that he and his friend should not even try fighting the blizzard, driven by 30-mile-per-hour winds. He was hoping the next day would be better.
As night fell and the storm wore on, the Young family’s herd of black-cross cows and calves drifted before those bitter winds, seeking shelter. They finally found it, under a bluff. Unfortunately, that high ground which broke the wind and caused the cattle to bunch and gather was the upper bank of the Milk River . . . the cattle were moving onto snow-covered ice!
When the boys found the herd the next morning, after more than an hour’s ride in 50-below-zero chill factors, the ice had given way. A lot of cattle were in the river. Many were floundering, fighting to escape. Some 27 head lay dead, with many more coated in ice from having been submerged in the icy water.
Riding for help as quickly as possible, the boys recruited kind neighbors and family members to help. Together, they managed to rescue more of the cows and calves. Many were so weakened and disoriented they plunged back into the icy water after being dragged out. Eventually, riders were able to trail most of the survivors to a neighbor’s feedlot, where they were bedded in straw, with hopes of saving their lives.
When the storm settled and a final count could be made, the Young family realized 39 cows and 35 calves were missing . . . undoubtedly victims of the icy Milk River. Other livestock involved in the tragedy were severely impacted . . . nobody knows how many pregnant cows aborted as a result.
Todd and his wife Sonia and their sons, along with Todd’s mother Agnes, were not only devastated because of the suffering and loss of life to their livestock; they were broadsided with the financial ramifications. Those calves represented expected cash flow at weaning time. Those cows represented business inventory, the basis for cash flow for years to come.
Christmas 2008 for the Young’s, whose family has ranched along the Milk River for more than seven decades, would never be forgotten . . . and they winced to face 2009 after such a loss.
You can perhaps imagine the surprise and pleasure of Sonia and Todd when they received an invitation from something called the “Giving Back Foundation” to attend a social event in Billings, Montana on February 7th, 2009. The message said their meals and room for the night were paid; and further informed them they’d be presented with a check to help out in their recent livestock loss!
The February event was actually a fundraiser for the Giving Back Foundation (GBF), a nonprofit entity founded on one of the ancient principles and unwritten rules of the agrarian lifestyle – “helping one another”, or “taking care of your own”. Knowing all too well the whipping many ranchers and farmers take from natural disasters annually, a few years ago T.J. Casey came up with the idea to offer at least a flicker of hope to devastated ranchers and farmers across the US and Canada. They were joined by others with a heart to help, and GBF has continued to grow. The foundation has been able to help rural families through many tragedies, from blizzards to wildfires, in several states.
The recent fundraiser, which was the Young family’s introduction to the generous kindness of GBF, brought in another $4,000 for Foundation use, along with more ideas and inspiration for future growth.
One ongoing GBF project is the cowboy CD, and a new one has just been released. The original two-set compact disc was released for sale in 2006, featuring 25 selections by western singer/songwriters, musicians and cowboy poets who unhesitatingly donated their art, time and effort to the Foundation.
That set is still available, and the new CD, GIVING BACK #2, Building Memories by Preserving our Heritage has just been released. These 24 entertaining, inspirational and varied selections of cowboy music and poetry are by such acclaimed artists as Barry Ward, RJ Vandygriff, Rhonda Sedgwick Stearns, Sisters of the Silver Sage, Ringling 5, Jay Snider, Jim Reader, Jean Prescott, Sandy Seaton, Palo Duro, Joseph FireCrow, and Waddie Mitchell on CD 1. CD 2 features Don Edwards, Open Range, Doris Daley, Dan Miller, Juni Fisher, Dennis Gaines, Joni Harms, Slim McNaught, Jack Gladstone, Michael Hurwitz, R.W. Hampton and TJ Casey.
You can order CD’s, and learn more about the activities of the Giving Back Foundation, by visiting their website, www.ranchersandfarmers.org. Corporate and private donations to this worthy cause are actively sought, and to donate or buy CD’s you can call (406) 442-3420 or write Giving Back Foundation c/o Montana Stockgrowers Association, 420 North California Street, Helena, Montana 59601.
Remember, GBF is a viable, action-based Foundation that offers concrete help to your neighbors when natural tragedies strike. Join the effort, extend a hand to ranchers and farmers, who have been the backbone of this region and America as a whole for more than a century, providing food, clothing and other necessities of life. As TJ Casey puts it, “We appreciate their hard work and what they provide for us, so we should let them know.”
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