Gallatin County Open Lands Program protects prime farmland, scenic views on Gooch Hill

The 300-acre Bos Hay & Grain conservation easement in Gooch Hill.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the three-times-voter-approved Gallatin County Open Lands Program, which has helped protect more than 57,000 acres of working farms and ranches, wildlife habitat, and scenic open space. Over the past quarter century, during a time of rapid growth and development in Gallatin County, the program has helped protect the natural resources and productive agricultural land on 64 properties, equivalent in size to more than 43,000 football fields.

While each landowner’s story is unique, they all share a common theme—a desire to ensure the land remains forever open and available for agriculture.

Among the 64 projects supported by the Gallatin County Open Lands Program is the 300-acre Bos Hay & Grain conservation easement on Gooch Hill, an area just east of Gallatin Gateway known for its prime agricultural soils and breathtaking panoramic views.

Ron and Janice Bos, who have operated Bos Hay & Grain since 1978, have deep roots in Gallatin County’s agricultural community dating back to the early 1900s when their grandparents emigrated to Montana from the Netherlands. Continuing their agricultural heritage, Rob and Janice began farming themselves in 1965.

“My wife and I started when we were 18,” shares Ron. “We had $80 and a $10,000 loan in 1965.”

After decades of hard work, Ron and Janice eventually purchased the land they were leasing from the Hands family in 2002.

As they considered how to pass on this legacy to the next generation, Ron and Janice approached Gallatin Valley Land Trust (GVLT) in 2022 to establish a conservation easement. Ron’s brother and his wife, David and Marilyn Bos, had partnered with GVLT to conserve their nearby 250-acre Gooch Hill property in 2009.

One of the most efficient and effective land conservation tools, conservation easements are voluntary legal agreements that permanently limit development and subdivision of land, while offering landowners potential tax benefits or financial compensation for the property value they are giving up. In Gallatin County, the Open Lands Program is an important source of this funding. Many landowners reinvest these resources into their agricultural operations or use them to support generational transfers of the ranch or farm.

With support from the program, Ron and Janice were able to turn their land over to their son, Craig, and their daughter-in-law, Allison, who now manage the operations.

“We thought long and hard because you do give up certain rights,” Ron says. “But that’s OK, based on what we were trying to accomplish. We want to see the land stay the way it is.”

Reflecting on 59 years of farming and 63 crops seeded on the property without missing a season, Ron continues, “It has to pay its way. We worked hard to get where we’re at. I am happy to know the land will remain in ag forever.”

Today, the Bos Hay & Grain property is part of a growing network of protected land on Gooch Hill. Within a five-mile radius, there are 14 other GVLT conservation easements, totaling over 3,500 acres of nearly continuous open space. Six of these projects also received Open Lands Program funding.

“Over the past 25 years, the Gallatin County Open Lands Program has provided an important resource for landowners who might otherwise have to subdivide historic farms, ranches, and natural lands,” explains GVLT Conservation Director Brendan Weiner. “The program has been critical to protecting the open spaces and prime farmland that make Gallatin Valley special.”

Thanks to strategic partnerships and strong community support, the Gallatin County Open Lands Program has successfully leveraged federal and private dollars at a 4-to-1 match for local taxpayer dollars.

“This program has merit,” says Ron. “It will not fit everybody, but in our case, it was the right thing.”

This is the second in a five-article series presented by Gallatin Valley Land Trust and Gallatin County to celebrate the Gallatin County Open Lands Program and its significant impact in the region.