Beartooth MT Ascent is unique in that we are a real working (with approximately 500 head/) cattle ranch. Through the real work involved in ranching we give each young man who comes to BearTooth Mt. Ascent the opportunity to learn new skills, such as driving tractors, irrigating fields, carpentry, mechanizing, introduction to semi-driving, plant identification, animal husbandry, and all aspects of caring for beef cattle. Unlike other Rehab or Transitions programs, we integrate "Real Life Therapy" into every area of the struggling young mans life. Beartooth MT Ascent Program has a proven 81.3 percent change in most areas of the Young mans behavior patterns. Many parents report that they see a major improvement in their sons respect for authority, and in their respectful and loving manner of relating with their family members.

The Beartooth MT Ascent Job Skills

At Beartooth MT Ascent, the at risk young men learn animal husbandry (the practice of breeding and raising livestock) as part of the ranch chores. Other seasonal chores consist of irrigating hay and grain fields, caring for the garden during the summer, and feeding cattle during the winter (they are on pasture from spring to fall). Ranch work follows three overlapping paths: (1) routine chores that make the ranch yield it's harvest (2) raising the calves that are the ranch’s main cash crop and provide consecutive seasonal work throughout the year, and (3) filling the rest of the time with work to improve conditions and ranch productivity. Meat is plentiful from the beef the ranch produces. During the summer fresh produce is readily available from garden planted and cared for by the students.

Calf production presents an annual work cycle for the young man, even though the calf crop is marketed during the late fall. The work begins in February or March with the birthing of the cavles, followed by plowing the ground to make it ready for planting in April and May. May also brings branding and the moving of the cattle herd off the spring range to mountain pastures, as well as irrigating the feilds, which continues through the summer. Haying begins in July followed by harvesting garden produce in September, returning the cattle herd from mountain pastures in October and ends with the sale of the calves in addition to beginning winter feeding in December.

Beartooth MT Ascent- A Life Changing Experience for struggling young men, parents and the entire family.