Moore family lists Broken O Ranch

On Dec. 20 the 123,000-acre Broken O Ranch was listed for sale for $132 million. Consisting of land in four counties, the ranch was assembled during the past 20 years by William and Desiree Moore, founders of the Kelly-Moore Paint Co. The couple has died, William Moore in 2004 and his wife last year, and with the couple’s two children and grandchildren not living at the ranch, the heirs have decided to sell the property, according to ranch Manager Dan Freeman. The asking price for the property includes 4,500 head of cattle and one of the largest blocks of irrigated land in the state at 13,000 acres. According to Freeman, the property raises an average of 25,000 tons of alfalfa hay and 700,000 bushels of small grain crops. The property includes 108,670 deeded acres and another 14,600 acres leased from the state of Montana and Bureau of Land Management. Freeman said the ranch is not the largest in Montana but ranks in the top 10. Linda Wolfe, an Augusta-area resident, said she has heard that Augusta residents are feeling unsure about the future with the prospect of the sale of the ranch. Wolfe said the community center on Main Street is a symbol of how important the Broken O Ranch is to Augusta. The center was donated by the Moore family and now serves as not only the senior and youth center, but also is a gathering place for a wide range of activities. "This building holds everything from funerals to weddings, has the food bank, a clinic every other week. The Girl Scouts meet here, 4-H does too, they hold aerobic classes here and elections," Wolfe said. "This building is the community hub, and that’s due to the Moores."...more