Bar Star Cattle is nestled in the picturesque Bull Mountains of Musselshell, Montana. Owned and operated by Chad and Stephanie Murnin, along with their children, Harrison and Hennessy, the ranch spans 16,000 acres of sandstone hills, trees and grassy meadows. On this land, the Murnins built a progressive Hereford and commercial cattle operation. 

They utilize Vermeer agricultural equipment to manage their feeding and hay production. And their cattle thrive, even in harsh conditions. Vermeer is spotlighting customers who use our hay and forage equipment to care for their beef herd.  

Let’s meet the Murnin family. 

Tell us about your beef operation

Chad and Stephanie both grew up raising cattle and combined their knowledge and passion to build a progressive Hereford and commercial cattle operation. 

Their breeding program is dedicated to functionality and improving traits that drive profit for their customers. Supplying seedstock genetics to produce cattle that are desired in the supply chain is their goal, as the end product is always kept in mind. 

What’s the history of your ranch?

Chad and Stephanie purchased their first registered Hereford heifer together in the fall of 2006. She went on to be Grand Champion Hereford Heifer in the junior show at the 2007 National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado.  

The couple married later that spring. It wasn’t until several years after marriage and a move to Montana before the couple could find a ranch to lease and grow their operation.  

Both had jobs in town with an hour commute to make the dream a reality at the start. The commercial and registered herds took off quickly, and they have worked diligently to make the kind of cattle they have envisioned for years. Going from owning one cow to operating two ranches and 600 cows at its peak was a huge accomplishment for the young ranchers.  

Currently, both Chad and Stephanie were able to “retire” from their in-town jobs and work on the ranch in Musselshell, Montana, full-time along with hired help. The Bar Star Brand comes from Chad’s late grandparents, Harry and Margaret Landers, who also raised purebred Hereford cattle. Stephanie’s parents, Marshall and Barbara Ernst, operated Ernst Herefords in Colorado. The love of cattle, and specifically Herefords, was rooted deeply among both families. 

What’s the biggest reward and challenge of beef production today?

There are so many factors affecting agriculture that are out of human control it is hard to just choose one. 

Along with the list of challenges come many rewarding days from the simple sunshine, a rain cloud, a prancing young calf or just down to the obvious paycheck that comes when selling bulls in the spring or commercial calves in the fall. Their biggest reward is driving or riding through the cows and seeing all the genetic progression made. Seeing good functional cattle that have a beautiful look with muscle and width, depth of body, wide frames along with a structure that can hike the Bull Mountains is a huge reward in itself. 

What are your future goals for your operation?

Bar Star Cattle’s future goal is to increase bull sale numbers and offer more fall-born bull calves in the sale. Downsizing the commercial herd while increasing the registered cow numbers. Quality is of utmost importance, so attention to detail and the cattle is always a top priority. 

What does being a beef producer mean to you?

George Washington famously stated, “Agriculture is the most healthful, most useful, and most noble employment of man.”  

The Murnins love working with our hands, being one with the land and cattle, and doing the Lord’s work. It was their calling from the get-go, and they are happy they have been afforded the education and ability to be beef producers and stewards of the land. 

What’s one thing you want consumers to know?

In today’s world of overprocessed foods, beef offers the best protein and nutrient-rich options for the human diet. Cattle are grazed on ground that’s not always suitable for crop production. 

What Vermeer equipment do you use?

Bar Star Cattle runs a Vermeer BPX9010 bale processor and two Vermeer 605M balers. They use the bale processor for six months of the year to feed all their cows out in the pasture and bed the sale bulls in the bull development lot. Montana winters are long, and pine needle abortions are a huge concern in the Bull Mountains, so feeding hay happens for many months. It is important to have equipment that can handle the quantity of feeding with efficiency for that extended period of time. The Vermeer bale processor has been easy to operate, maneuver and store in the off months. With over 1,200 acres of dryland hay, two Vermeer 605M balers were used all summer. 

How has Vermeer equipment helped your operation?

Bar Star Cattle ag equipment has withstood time and the rough country it gets bounced over for long periods of time. Having to purchase all equipment as young ranchers, they were able to afford the Vermeer equipment and continue running it with low inputs. 

One specific example of Vermeer’s impact?

In 2021, drought struck, and the use of the bale processor allowed us to use low-quality roughage, mostly straw, as the base to their ration. With cheap protein sources top dressed on the bale processor windrow, this kept feeding affordable all winter and allowed Bar Star Cattle to stay in business and maintain herd numbers. 

If your cattle could talk, one thing they’d say?

They would say that the Murnins talk a lot about muscle, fleshing ability and feet. They would also say that they want the cows to be cows and be low maintenance while doing so. 

— Answers provided by Stephanie and Chad Murnin

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