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When we published our “Who owns Montana?” story last week, I expected readers to have questions.
I did not expect how many.
Some wanted to know why a particular landowner wasn’t on our top 10 list. The Matador Ranch and Cattle Company, owned by Fox News creator Rupert Murdoch, for instance, says it encompasses 402,000 acres. But that figure includes grazing leases. Our analysis of the state’s Cadastral property data found that the ranch owns 113,049 acres, enough to rank it 17th among the private landowners we identified.
Others asked about Ted Turner’s land. He passed away in May of 2025, but his estate remains, with 114,196 acres — massive, but still just 16th on our list.
And quite a few people had suggestions for where we should point our reporting next. They want to know how much land the Hutterite colonies encompass in Montana, who holds all those grazing leases, how much public land exists in the state and, repeatedly, who the big landowners are in other states. I appreciate all of them, although a tour of land ownership across all 50 states might stretch the definition of Montana Free Press.
The hefty response from readers, though, gets at why we started this project in the first place. Who owns Montana is a seemingly simple question with a surprisingly complicated answer.
The state maintains an enormous public database of property records, but there’s no straightforward way to determine when land held under different names or companies ultimately belongs to the same person, family or organization. So we made those connections ourselves. What we found was a varied group: ranching families, billionaires, a church-affiliated agricultural company, conservation groups and the largest private owner of coal reserves in the country. Together, the top 10 own about 2.5 million acres — roughly 2.7% of the state’s 93 million acres.
That work culminated in our ranking and interactive map. You can read all about it here, and view the video I produced here.
The story also raised more questions than we could answer in a single story. We’re already thinking about where to take that reporting next, and reader suggestions are helping shape that discussion. So keep them coming: What would you like to know about who owns Montana?
— Jacob Olness, [email protected]
Fact Check ✔️
Earlier this summer, a hiker went viral when he walked out 10 miles from a high-alpine plateau beneath Montana’s highest peak with a trekking pole gouging through his midsection rather than wait for a potentially pricey helicopter rescue.
In all the coverage that swirled around the incident, people seemed to take for granted that rescue helicopters are expensive. I wanted to dig into how much a rescue like that might actually cost.
I talked with several search-and-rescue coordinators across the region. The picture that emerged was more complicated — and ultimately cheaper — than I expected. Read the story for more, but here are the takeaways:
• Not all helicopters cost you money. Federal and county resources — funded by taxpayers and free of charge — are just as likely to get called in to whisk you away if you get in trouble in the backcountry as private choppers. In fact, if you need a rescue that requires a rope hoist or technical expertise, you more than likely won’t pay a dime for the helicopter.
• Private air ambulances will cost you. As of 2017, those bills averaged about $32,000 nationwide, but experts estimate that price tag has gone up substantially in the years since. These resources get called in if you need in-air treatment or a ride to a hospital.
• Even if you find yourself at the mercy of a private air ambulance, the days of surprise bills in the tens of thousands of dollars are generally over. A federal bill called the No Surprises Act went into effect in 2022. It was designed specifically to avoid sky-high out-of-network charges, such as air ambulance bills.
Under this new legislation, private air ambulances will be billed as in-network if you have insurance, no matter what. You might have to pay your deductible and maybe some cost-sharing, depending on the specifics of your plan — but a hospital visit would likely rack up those costs anyway.
Ultimately, search-and-rescue officials told me never to be afraid to call for help. SAR is run by volunteers and funded by taxpayer dollars. It’s worth noting, too, that rescues made without the use of helicopters will never come at the rescuee’s expense. The mountains are humbling and change quickly. Delaying a call out of fear of the cost can make a situation far worse.
Stay safe out there.
— Nick Mott
Following the Law ⚖️
Motion denied. Billings-based Public Service Commissioner Brad Molnar should remain suspended from his role until July of next year, according to a recent ruling from Lewis and Clark District Court Judge Mike Menahan.
Molnar was originally suspended without pay by Gov. Greg Gianforte in July following an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation. Menahan ruled against Molnar’s request for a preliminary injunction to overturn the suspension. In his order, Menahan wrote that Molnar did not dispute the factual allegations that had been made against him.
Three of the five commissioners on the PSC voted to ask the governor to suspend Molnar earlier this year. Molnar and Commissioner Randy Pinocci opposed the move. In a letter penned at the time of the suspension, Gianforte wrote, “In my view, Commissioner Molnar has repeatedly violated the sacred trust between him and the people of Montana and has shown no remorse for it. In fact, he retaliated for months against those at the PSC who have brought legitimate concerns to light.”
Gianforte appointed former PSC Commissioner Kirk Bushman to fill Molnar’s seat for the duration of the suspension, through July 8, 2027. Molnar’s four-year term concludes at the end of 2028.
Molnar’s attorney, Matthew Monforton, told the Daily Montanan that they would appeal Judge Menahan’s ruling to the Montana Supreme Court.
— Ellis Juhlin
The Gist 📌
Hay has become a hot commodity in parts of the state where the summer’s drought hampered harvests, tightening supply and spiking prices. Cattle expert Megan Van Emon, a Miles City-based extension specialist for Montana State University, told Montana Free Press that premiums are especially prevalent across southeastern and northeastern regions of the state. The increased cost for ranchers translates into economic loss for rural Montana communities.
Montana’s overall hay yield is lower than last year’s. Fair alfalfa hay sold for about $204 per ton this August, an increase of 36% from last July. Van Emon said that “drought is our main determinant every year of how those hay prices are going to go.”
Prolonged drought can leave ranchers without homegrown hay or options from a nearby vendor, Van Emon said, forcing them to purchase food for their cows from farther away.
“You’re increasing your trucking costs, you’re increasing what you’re going to have to buy that hay for,” Van Emon said.
And all that leads to higher costs that are passed on to consumers. With that in mind, Gov. Greg Gianforte signed an executive order this week temporarily easing restrictions on hay transit, including when oversized loads can travel and how much weight a vehicle can carry.
Forage crop expert James Rogers, an extension specialist at North Dakota State University, told MTFP that undercutting producers’ bottom line disrupts local economies.
“They’re trading dollars with local co-ops, with local merchants, with local grocers, with all the support industries that they deal with,” Rogers said.
A spike in hay prices, Rogers said, causes “a ripple effect throughout the entire community.”
Van Emon bemoaned the high prices, along with their impact on ranchers and local communities, but also noted that it’s “pretty typical this time of year.”
— Zeke Lloyd
Say Again? 🤔
Are you one of the over 400,000 Montanans who get their power from NorthWestern Energy? Did you happen to notice a large increase in your most recent power bill?
If so, the state’s utility regulators at the Public Service Commission want to hear from you. The PSC said it received hundreds of complaints from NorthWestern customers about their August bills being significantly higher than the month before.
In a statement, the PSC said its internal Department of Public Service Regulation is actively working with NorthWestern Energy to investigate the cause of the increases. So far, the utility has attributed the higher bills to increased power use in July for things like air conditioning.
Any customer that noticed a drastic increase in their bill can email [email protected] with the name on their account, service address and scanned images of the front and back of their NorthWestern bill.
— Ellis Juhlin
Highlights ☀️
In other news this week —
• As part of MTFP’s Reporter Residency Program, Zeke Lloyd spent some time in Glendive and wrote about how a once-promised ammunition plant, rather mysteriously, hasn’t come to fruition.
• Top executives of the company proposing a massive data center in Broadview donated to a slew of Montana candidates in 2024. While those contributions were both modest and legal, some recipients, as Phoebe Tollefson reported, helped deliver tax breaks and legal protections for the industry the following year.
• A long-serving administrator at Great Falls’ largest hospital, who helped oversee the shuttered heart program we investigated this spring, no longer works there. As Matt Hudson reported, neither Benefis Health System nor the former employee is saying why.
On Our Radar
Nick — With the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaching, this story about sacrifice and a family’s grief really got to me.
Nora — I can’t stop thinking about this expertly written, fascinating and bizarre story about a Midwestern man-turned lawn care influencer who finds himself making questionable YouTube content while federal agents surround his home. It’s a story about the internet and influencing, but it’s also, as the journalist writes, a story about the unraveling of men and how algorithms can fuel poor decisions.
Zeke — I get a lot of press releases in my inbox. “A ‘slimy’ discovery: Freshwater jellyfish found near Canyon Ferry Reservoir,” didn’t end up being a hot tip. But it was worth the read.
Ellis — Grist, the digital climate change news outlet, just published this piece about how climate change is making summers look, and feel, a lot different. It’s composed of poignant vignettes from reporters across the country about their favorite parts of summer, and how they’re changing in a warming world. Each piece brings you to this compelling snapshot of a place, dripping with that summertime nostalgia we all know well, and compelling climate information woven throughout. I was honored to contribute a Montana section to the piece. It’s a compelling read to send off summer.
Mara — As suggested in prior editions of this newsletter, I’ve been spending a lot of time lately figuring out how to consume a very productive zucchini harvest. Without a doubt, the biggest crowd-pleaser so far has been this jalapeño cheddar zucchini bread.
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Lowdown is edited by Nick Ehli, with additional copy editing by Mara Silvers.