Farming and Ranching: It's in their blood

It seems an invisible force, perhaps like gravity, or maybe something more like a Jedi force, tugged Jody Manuel into the stratosphere of the rancher farmer life his father and grandfathers have lived, despite his intent to stray from the family business.

"I can't imagine doing anything else," he said.

Jody went to Montana State University in Bozeman and then Montana State University-Northern and earned a civil engineering and technology degree.

But the agricultural producer in him wouldn't have it.

Jody said that one day in 1991 his uncle sat down with him and said, "You know, you should be doing this instead of me"- this being ranching.

And that's how his life was redirected to ag producing.

It's 25 years later, and Jody and his wife, Crystal, have a 4,500-acre operation he works with the help of two employees. But his workforce might increase.

Jody's ag operation went fully organic in 2011. The transition began in 2007 after Crystal was diagnosed with the autoimmune Graves' disease. He said doctors didn't have a lot of answers and things "started to make sense" as they began looking into nutrition. Up until then, he was only ranching because "farming never appealed to me before." But this inspired in him a genuine interest in farming.

Today, Crystal no longer has Graves' disease.

On June 20, Jody and his two employees, Tyler and John, were getting ready for a cattle drive. Jody has more than 300 organic cattle, and it was time to drive the bulk of them to a fresh pasture.

Once inside the fence, Jody got out of his red pickup truck, formed his hands into a megaphone around his mouth and hollered, "Come oooonnnn" in the direction of the cows. Jody's cattle call is a drawn-out howl. He said it's something he does because his dad did it.

The cows turned their attention to the source of the howl and began to moo and walk toward Jody.

In a matter of minutes, the herd had encircled their owner, waiting for the next move, still mooing. One cow had a swollen left eye. Jody guessed she may have been bitten by a snake, and said he'd have to take her to the vet and have her looked at.

Someone else is considering joining the Manuel ag business.

Jody's 20-year-old son, Tristan, went to flight school in Belgrade and has earned his private certification. Jody said Tristan recently got an offer to work with someone who flies drones.

But things are up in the air for Tristan.

Tristan has been working with his dad since January. And despite his technical training, like his dad before him, Tristan is seriously considering getting into the family business because he likes it. Jody said Tristan has a lot to think about.

"It's not always a big bowl of cherries," Jody said. "But it's a darn nice life."