By STAN MADDUX Indiana Correspondent LA PORTE, Ind. — Les Craft has spent his entire life raising cattle, but he never felt like a true cowboy in Indiana. But the 66-year-old from the northwestern part of the state is about to rope his longtime dream out in Big Sky country. Craft has relocated most of his 100 head of Black Angus to where he’s planting new roots on more than 2,000 acres in Montana. He’ll complete the move once he sells the 235 acres he’s lived and raised cattle on for the past 32 years. He is also waiting until he retires from his other full-time job at Farm Bureau Insurance. “I decided it was time. If I’m going to do this, I better be doing it,” he explained. Craft grew up helping his father raise cattle on a nearby farm outside La Porte and showing beef in 4-H. After graduating from Purdue University, his love affair with Montana began when he started making trips to bring back cattle from a state known for its prime beef, to raise in Indiana. He also started sending breeding stock to Montana for customers needing bulls for their heifers. Craft said the farm culture in Indiana is more about corn and soybeans, and he’s enjoyed it. But the cowboy lifestyle in Montana, along with the wide open skies and terrain, is what totally satisfied the medium-rare spirit flowing in his veins. “It’s always appealed to me,” he said. Craft said he and his wife, Dawn, put themselves in a position to move west 10 years ago. They had enough money saved to purchase what used to be a ranch in Columbus, a community of fewer than 2,000 people some 40 miles west of Billings and 75 miles north of the Wyoming state line. He learned the property was available from a friend living just down the road from the spread. He’s been doing what he can to fix up the home and maintain the property ever since. More recently, he started hauling his cattle there. Craft said he took about 40 on trips he made himself with his small cattle trailer. He had a semi take another 40 or so cattle all at once. Despite having 10 times the amount of land for his cattle to roam, he doesn’t plan on adding to his herd. More land is required in Montana to have enough grass for grazing, due to the difference in climate. Craft said he’s also wants to work at his own pace for a change, at what he enjoys the most. “It’s always been in my blood. It’s what I love doing. My health is still good and I want to do it for long as I’m able.” He said he plans to complete the move after a March 21 auction of his land and his April 1 retirement from 36 years at Farm Bureau Insurance. He hopes the friendships and business relationships he’s built in Montana over the years will make for an easier transition to what he expects to be a major life change. “It’s not like I’m just dropping in there without knowing anybody or anything, but still it’s going to be a big adjustment,” he mused. |
