Montana
Montana Ag Network: Bright future for bison ranchers
Montana has one of the largest populations of domestic bison in the country with around 20,000 of the majestic animals living on ranches and farms in the state.
While the number of animals left is just a fraction of what it once was when they were freely roaming the plains, the number is growing, and the industry seems to have a bright future.
Watch the full video of this story below:
Montana Ag Network: Bright future for bison ranchers
“I’ve always had an affinity for bison. They are just awesome animals. I just couldn’t let it alone. I convinced my family that it was a good idea and here we are,” says Ty Stubblefield, who owns Wild Bison Ranch in Carbon County.
Stubblefield is a relative newcomer to bison after putting his money on an old cattle ranch outside of Bridger and a herd of bison from Canada.
“I had no ranching background, whatsoever, so we went and visited a bunch of ranches, talked to a bunch of ranchers, had some great mentors. We went through a course called ranching for profit,” he says.
Bison are the largest mammal in North America, with some of the males weighing up to 2,000 pounds and standing six feet tall. There are a little more than 400,000 of the animals living on private ranches in the United States after they nearly were killed off at one point.
MTN News
“They are not like beef. They’ve got a wild spirit to them. They are just chilling right now, but if we opened the gate, they would be in Yellowstone tomorrow,” Stubblefield says.
Bison also take a lot longer to mature than cattle and get to harvest, about twice as long.
The good news for these producers is that demand for bison meat is growing.
“It’s amazing. Higher in iron and B vitamins, lower in calories, fat and cholesterol then beef or even chicken and salmon,” says Melinda Anakalea with Harlow Ranch Bison Company.
Anakalea is also relatively new to bison, but not to ranching. She and her husband began raising a herd of bison on her family’s century old ranch near Thompson Falls about five years ago.
They sell the meat directly to consumers mostly through their website.
“The supply side of things is where the industry is struggling right now. We have built up a great customer base and people are realizing that they want bison and now to get the bison grown and ready to get on their plate is kind of where the issue is,” she says.
“I think if we can take that middleman out, ranchers will find it more profitable to sell meat directly to the consumer,” says Stubblefield, who also sells his bison meat directly to consumers online.
Around 80,000 bison were harvested in all of 2023 in the United States. That’s less than the approximately 125,000 cattle that the U.S. beef industry slaughters every single day.
MTN News
It is still a relatively small industry, but one that these producers believe has a lot of room for growth.
“We by no means get rich, but we get to live this lifestyle that’s really important to us and our family,” says Stubblefield.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 11, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from May 11 drawing
24-30-37-56-64, Powerball: 07, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from May 11 drawing
16-19-22-34-46, Star Ball: 01, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from May 11 drawing
21-22-26-31, Bonus: 04
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from May 11 drawing
09-13-34-42-59, Powerball: 01
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 11 drawing
42-45-46-48-56, Bonus: 03
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Montana
Half a million absentee ballots sent to Montana voters for primary election • Daily Montanan
Ballots for Montana’s June 2 primary began to hit voters’ mailboxes this weekend.
According to the Secretary of State’s website, 509,399 absentee ballots were mailed to voters. As of Monday morning, 358 voters had already returned their ballots.
“Montana’s 2026 Primary Election is well underway, and the Montana Election Team is honored to serve our voters,” Secretary of state Christi Jacobsen said in a press release. “As a reminder, Montanans can view their sample ballot, track their absentee ballot, confirm their voter registration information, and much more at VoteMT.gov.”
Voted ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, June 2nd.
The Montana Election Team reminds absentee voters to sign, date, and add their birth year when returning their absentee ballot. County election officials provide instructions in the ballot packet, and more information is also available online at https://votemt.gov/absentee-ballot/.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 10, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from May 10 drawing
06-22-28-31, Bonus: 08
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 10 drawing
01-03-20-35-46, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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