"What sets Sid apart are his skills and interests that go beyond the traditional scope of ranch management. His great strength is in the areas of ecology and the environment…whether it is forest or grasslands management or stream restoration to enhance fish and insect habitat." - Bob Haas

Managing the spring drive for Heart Bar Heart Ranch in Montana.

Heart Bar Heart Ranch: Ranching in Harmony with Local Wildlife

Long before the USDA’s Organic beef regulations, Sid Johnson produced Natural Beef on a 5000-acre, 800 cow calf ranch near Montana’s Big Blackfoot River. He put up 2000 ton of grass alfalfa hay annually using limited chemical fertilizers and intensive rotational grazing for the crops and no growth hormones on the cattle. The Ranch enjoyed a 60,000-acre United States Forest Service mountain grazing permit, and Sid treated the public land with care and respect for its endemic wild species. He also enhanced the ranch’s wild space to attract local bird species for hunting.

Sid oversaw the repair and restoration of portions of Squaw Valley Creek running through the 5,000 property.

Willow Creek Ranch: Restoring Degraded Habitat

Sid and Jenny Johnson spent more than a decade restoring a 5,000-acre property near Mt. Shasta, California that had suffered under decades of aggressive logging practices. They also invested countless hours in projects aimed at attracting endemic wildlife, restoring creek habitat, and preventing fires and erosion. Rainbow trout, brown trout, bear, cougar, deer, and quail have all since returned to the property.

Bison were conditioned to accept an electric fence.

Elk Mountain Ranch: Growing a Bison Program

In Elk Mountain, Wyoming Sid Johnson played a key leadership role in starting a bison program that grew to 1200 head on 120,000 acres. He designed and constructed workable 8-foot steel corrals and placed approximately 10,000 acres behind electric fencing. Although he did not have a background in bison management, Sid easily adapted his previous ranching experience to this new venture. He purchased all weanling calves and conditioned them to follow vehicles rather than be driven like cattle, all with the goal of reducing stress-related illness and weight loss while ensuring a better lifestyle for the animals.