ALBERTON — An Alberton couple poured their savings and hard work into transforming a gravel pit into a regenerative farm. Now, they are ready to share their land and a message, as the ReWild Ranch takes on agritourism.
“Not a lot of people would look at this property and say, ‘Hey, we should totally make that a farm,’” said Jill Demers. “It’s been quite an undertaking.”
But, that is exactly what Jill Demers and Jay Garland did. While the property looks idyllic now, that was not the case when the couple bought the old homestead from their neighbors.
“We had a caved in trailer house, about seven abandoned vehicles up in the pasture,” Demers said. “An entire shed full of old paint cans. A dead deer floating in the septic tank.”
The couple had been living next door for years, first in a Volkswagen van and then in a house they built. In 2020, they bought the 58-acres from their neighbors. They both said they felt called to the property. Now, their small, regenerative farm is up and running, thanks to lots of hard work from their family, friends and neighbors.
“We're using goats, livestock, guarding dogs to help kind of mitigate weeds, but also restore the soil,” Garland said.
The couple are first-time farmers and had a hard time breaking into the business-side of agriculture.
“42 year-old first generation farmers is not sexy, and it's not well funded,” Demers said. “We could not get traditional funding. It was kind of a nightmare and we literally almost had to sell the place as a result. So, we got creative.”
That creativity led them to agritourism. This summer, they are opening up an “eco-lodge” to host up to 12 people. Demers is a nutrition therapist and plans to host classes and, eventually, community events.
“The idea of a homestead life is having a moment,” Demers said. “We just have always had this vision of having a farm. Not necessarily to sell food for money, but, for me, more from an educational perspective, because I really see food as our deepest connection to nature on a daily basis.”
The couple hopes their approach could help inspire others well beyond their property line.
“Essentially, the concept is to combine the two most lucrative industries in the state of Montana, which is agriculture and tourism,” Demers said. “I believe that this can create a new narrative with a new economy that will actually infuse enough money into our small farms in the state of Montana, so that we can actually invest and make them profitable and keep Montana's farmlands in Montanan's hands.”
The couple is always looking ahead, whether it is projects around the farm, events to plan or passing ReWild on to their sons. But, sometimes, they stop to look back at the gravel pit across the road and think of where the project started.
“It’s sort of like if a private project could be a superfund site, maybe it would be or would have been. But, we've really taken it and made it what we think is really beautiful and inviting,” Demers said. “And we’re really excited to open it to the community.”
