family Life
on the Ranch
Just part of life for a ranch mom WRITTEN BY REBECCA COLNAR PHOTOS BY HALMES FAMILY
Being an expectant mother has not stopped ranch wife Tara Halmes from helping her husband on his family’s ranch. Tara grew up in western Montana in a family that raised cattle along with quarter horses, chickens and turkeys. While studying elementary education at Montana State University-Bozeman, Tara met her future husband, Jake. “He wanted to return to his family ranch in Cascade, so we moved there,” explained Tara. “For the first couple of years, I taught school and he helped with his family’s ranch and outfitting business. Then, because we had so many irons in the fire, I decided to quit teaching and help with the ranching and cooking for hunting camp. Once we had our first son, I decided it was best to work from home, which is on the ranch. I now have my real estate license which allows me to work from home and take care of the boys.” 52
january 2022
The couple currently have two sons: Hatcher, 3 ½ and Kit, 1 ½. They are expecting their third child, also a boy, in April. Tara noted that even at their young age, the boys adore ranching. “Both of their first words was horse. Since I’m expecting, I don’t ride horses, but they get to ride with their dad. In the spring, Jake handles night calving for the ranch and his brother feeds the cows during the day. They both love feeding the cows with their uncle, and they also enjoy feeding the bottle calves.” (Calves who have been orphaned.) Tara isn’t surprised that the boys love being on their bouncy horses and even getting bucked off. Jake was a saddle bronc rider in college and she laughs that they’ve inherited their dad’s love for rodeo. “They are all cowboy,” she says.
This year Hatcher experienced his first rodeo with mutton-busting (riding sheep) at the fair. Kit moos when he sees cows. When Hatcher was a year and a half, the couple brought a very cold newborn calf into the house. “Despite doing everything we could to warm her, we didn’t think she’d make it. I had gone down the hall to do laundry and when I came back, the calf had her head up and Hatcher was feeding her his dehydrated blueberries. The calf survived, so we’re keeping her as the boys’ cow. They will keep the calves she has.” The couple is in the process of building a new house and plan to get chickens for eggs along with guinea hens, which supposedly help to eliminate rattlesnakes. As for being pregnant on a ranch, Tara admits to missing riding horses, but she still helps
