The Cowboy Lifestyle
Steve and Debb Weninger were watching their lifestyle of ranching slowly erode away. "It's gotten
so you just can't make a living doing it anymore," Steve says in frustration.
But it's not a cowboy's nature to give up. So they're rebuilding their dream with a twist
on 1,000 acres near Sentinel Butte. Instead of cattle, they'll earn their living from tourists who come
to North Dakota to experience its solitude, wildlife, wide-open spaces and cowboy lifestyle.
During the week, Steve tests electrical poles for power companies across the western half of
the state while Debb tends to the ranch and cattle. On weekends, they've built a picturesque log
cabin that will soon be the centerpiece of their guest ranch. Plans call for guest houses, a barn and corrals.
"There are great opportunities here for birding, camping, riding and wildlife photography.
It's only limited by your imagination," Steve says.
A growing number of farmers and ranchers are diversifying their farm income by bringing
rural and outdoor experiences to an increasingly urban population, says Kathy Tweeten, NDSU
community economic development extension specialist. Enterprises include u-pick fruit and vegetable
gardens, corn mazes, wildlife and bird watching, guest cabins, trails (hiking, biking and horse),
hunting activities, and working farm and ranch experiences. "People want real experiences," she says.
Tweeten launched a series of agritainment workshops beginning in 1999. The Weningers
have attended two. "The second time we went we talked some friends into going along," Debb says.
"We help farm and ranch families to see if this type of business could be a good fit for
their family before they spend a lot of time and money on it," Tweeten says. "The first question they
need to ask themselves is, `Do we like people?'"
"We realized that this might be an option for us one morning when we went to do our
branding and there were 50 people here," Debb says with a laugh. "We've been doing this for years."
During the workshop, Tweeten, other extension faculty, and representatives from the
N.D. health, tax and tourism departments share information on health and safety issues, tax
regulations, tourism trends, and opportunities and promotion. Legal and insurance experts outline legal
and liability issues. Local economic development officials share information on resources, and
people already involved in agritainment enterprises share experiences and tips.
A resource guide is available at www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/ced/communitypage.htm, and a
loose network of entrepreneurs shares ideas and experience through the use of a
listserve.
Some decide agritainment isn't for them. Others gain insight on where to start. The
workshop encourages people to analyze and build on their interests and assets. "We already have horse
packs, tents and camping equipment, so we'll start with that and grow from there," Steve explains.
 Steve notes that maintaining grasslands and other natural resources will be a key to
sustaining new tourism enterprises. When possible, NDSU researchers include wildlife and
aesthetic considerations in their studies. But obtaining funding for such studies is a challenge,
notes Lee Manske, a range scientist at NDSU's Dickinson Research Extension Center.
He's accumulated more than two decades of data that indicate it's best to graze cattle
in rotations that are consistent with the growth stages of grass. "When we manage rangeland for
a specific purpose—for cattle, for wildlife or for an individual
species—the ecosystem's health declines. But when our management priority is the biological requirements of all plants and
the ecosystem's processes, the rangeland ecosystem's health improves and all components benefit."
At NDSU's Central Grasslands Research Extension Center near Streeter, researchers from
South Dakota State University and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are studying how
non-game birds fare under various grassland management strategies. Next spring the center will plant
trees around a man-made pond to demonstrate how trees can enhance habitat, shelter cattle during
winter storms and increase the amount of water available for livestock by catching snow.
"We also look at these activities as a great opportunity to educate people on rangeland
and ranching," notes Steve. "The friends we've made and the lifestyle we have are things we don't
want to give up. If people come here and understand us and what we do, it will help us preserve them."
For more information: Kathy Tweeten, 701-328-5134, ktweeten@ndsuext.nodak.edu
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