An Interview with Certified Organic Grower Ty O’Connor, Owner of Montana Legacy Ranch
Montana Legacy Ranch owner and operator Ty O’Connor is a long-time DriftWatch user and advocate of FieldWatch. He and his wife Sarina run their 53,000-acre ranch together and are proud to be a family business committed to “doing what’s right” for their cattle and crops, the environment, and their customers with a regenerative approach to agriculture. Ty took time out of his busy schedule to talk about how FieldWatch helps them maintain their organic certification.
FW: What is your background with FieldWatch?
TY: Our organic certifier connected us with FieldWatch 12 to 13 years ago. “This would be good for organic producers to have,” he said. Our farmland in the FieldWatch registries is not in one continuous block. We are spread out over 50 miles, and the registries help us keep track of our various sites. We grow a lot of wheat, as well as cereal rye for grazing, for grain and for winter forage. Additionally, we grow flax, lentils, sunflowers, corn barley, oats and chickpeas. We are registering all of these fields in FieldWatch and are always looking for new crops.
FW: How have the FieldWatch registries benefited Montana Legacy Ranch?
TY: FieldWatch became a helpful tool almost immediately after we registered our acres because aerial sprayers are looking at the FieldWatch registry sites frequently. Applicators recognize they need to be careful when spraying near our crops, and we got a call from an aerial sprayer about a year after registering our sites. He saw we had certified organic acres next to some areas where he sprayed on neighboring farms. FieldWatch has been a great tool to help us because we’re really focusing on our field health.
FW: What are some challenges you face on your ranch?
TY: We live and work in a pretty wide-open area without many people. So, one of the challenges is to let neighbors know that we are certified organic, and we do not allow any spraying by the county on our county roads through our properties, for example. Additionally, there are aerial sprayers who have sprayed neighbors’ land previously and really didn’t know exactly how we were certifying our operation. FieldWatch helps with both of these challenges as well as with the signs we display.
FW: How do you multiply the impact FieldWatch has in your area?
TY: I have promoted FieldWatch to the different counties [in Montana] because I think it is a helpful tool for their county sprayers. It is very easy for these applicators to see where they can and can’t spray. I also want to share FieldWatch with large companies who may be planning pipelines in our region or have already placed them. So, when contractors check the pipelines, they know if there are certified organic acres where they are working. Additionally, we have several beehives on our property, and I plan to let the beekeepers know they can register their sites, too.
FW: Is there anything else you would like to add?
TY: I think programs like FieldWatch are what we need to keep going in the right direction in agriculture. We are working toward building our legacy for future generations. Having our family members able to come back into the registries to update and add acres makes it easier for the transition to our kids. It’s a good program, and right away, it added value for us!
To find out more about Montana Legacy Ranch, please visit their website here.
