Local Montana ranchers earn passive income on land-sharing marketplace
Karen and David Shockey have been gaining extra income by listing their 2,700-acre ranch near Wilsall, MT on the LandTrust website since 2019. Muddy Creek Ranch is a family-owned and operated grass-fed cattle ranch located in the beautiful Shields Valley. Third-generation owners and operators, Karen and David Shockey were looking for additional revenue streams to help keep the ranch afloat in times of need. “We are limited with how many cows we can run to offset our costs, so we are always looking for additional incomes for the ranch. Working with LandTrust was a no-brainer,” says Karen.
Dubbed “the Airbnb for Outdoor Recreators”, LandTrust is an online marketplace that connects landowners with outdoor recreators to create additional income for landowners and more opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts. Landowners can host experiences like hunting, bird watching, and farm tours on their land, with complete control over every booking and each individual that they invite to experience their land.
The platform was appealing to the Shockey’s as a way to bring in additional revenue by offering outdoor recreation opportunities on their land and on their terms. Some of their experience offerings include hunting trips for elk, antelope, deer, duck, and bird watching, as well other unique ranch activities like Grass-fed beef tours.
“Block management never appealed to us because of the lack of control and heavy impact on our land. What appealed to us about LandTrust was the ability to control how many hunters we hosted on our land and the kind of hunters that use the platform – every guest that has visited us has been extremely respectful of our land, home, and family.”
Each landowner that joins the LandTrust marketplace has a dedicated ‘Success Manager’ committed to the success of each landowner on the platform. “We don’t have a lot of extra time, and the platform has been easy to learn and operate. Monty and Kris [Landowner Success Managers] are very hands-on and they’ll text or call me to remind me of a booking inquiry if I missed it”.
Beyond the economic impact for landowners individually, the platform brings business to small ranching communities. Karen and David are also owners and operators of the The Bank Bar and Vault Restaurant in Wilsall, and see many of their hunting guests come through the restaurant after a day on the land.
“Using LandTrust has really helped us make ends meet during times of need. There’s no upfront investment, no risk, it’s a no-brainer to try out. I’ve recommended it to friends and fellow farmers and ranchers.”