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Retired couple looking for someone to join their farm while enjoying the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana, USA

Availability

  2026 

 Min stay requested: at least a week

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    After ten years of managing a meat and dairy goat farm while hosting one hundred forty Workaway and other traveling volunteers, our farm has been whittled down to one goat, some chickens, a dog and a couple cats. We are in the wrap-up stage of our farming life and need help cleaning a dusty barn and restoring a hoop house severely damaged by a wind storm. No skill is needed to help, just a lot of muscle and sweat! Our barn sits right along side a beautiful creek and is surrounded by National forest. If you like to work hard, eat great food, sit in a hot tub at night and play in the mountains, we're what you are looking for. Please don't come if you don't thrive on a hard half-days work!

    We are a retired couple recently (12 yrs.) relocated to Montana after thirty-two years in New Mexico. Phil loves raising animals, gardening - although our altitude makes it difficult, watching sports, grilling spicy ribs from his own recipe and making biscuits from scratch. He enjoys helping other people, sharing what he knows about gardening and animal husbandry, taking naps and just loving living in the Bitterroot Mountains. Linda enjoys creating a warm and welcoming environment for guests. You might say “hospitality is her thing”. Cooking, baking bread, cross-country skiing, decorating, riding her ATV, writing, and loving on her animals are among her favorite activities. Chilling out for her would include cruising the net or watching collegiate football and basketball. We both love thrift store treasure hunting.

    We love people! We fully embrace the value of opening up our home and our lives to those whom we have the opportunity to welcome. Little did we know twelve years ago when we found this little jewel on a dirt road in Montana the world would literally come to our door! Our faith is central to who we are. We believe it is best expressed by what we do and how we treat others, but we are always up for a chat about the way we see our world and love to listen to others' viewpoints.

    Here is a video created by a former Workaway volunteer. -ask us for the links

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Animal Care
    Farmstay help
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
    House & pet sitting
  • Interests

    Interests

    Politics / Social justice
    Gardening
    History
    Cooking & food
    Animals
    Fitness
    Hiking
  • UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN goals
    No poverty
    Zero hunger
    Good health and well-being
    Quality education
    Gender equality
    Clean water and sanitation
    Affordable and clean energy
    Decent work and economic growth
    Industries, innovation and infrastructure
    Reduce inequality
    Sustainable cities and communities
    Responsible consumption and production
    Climate action
    Life below water
    Life on land
    Peace, justice and strong institutions
    Partnerships for the goals
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Not only will we make every effort to see that our Workawayers enjoy a memorable and meaningful stay here at our retreat, I'm confident there will be numerous opportunities for interaction between our other guests from other parts of the world and country. Not only are we anxious to teach and share skills, we would love to learn from what skills our Workawayers have.

    Our experience with communal and cross-cultural living: Our nest has never been empty! Our large home on a rural acreage in NM was a refuge, or free housing for over thirty students, families in crisis, missionaries and/or their children It was then followed by several years as a boarding house for military personnel. All of these experiences we highly embraced. Other cross-cultural activities: We spent two weeks helping build a cafeteria and painting student housing units at a seminary in Costa Rica. Phil participated in a mobile medical clinic in the mountains of Guatemala. And he participated in a cultural exchange program in four regions of China.


    One last thing: Workaway is a cultural exchange. We are open to all cultures and points of view. In a world of conflicting social and political views, we feel it's important for Workawayers who stay with us to be willing to accept the fact that their political views may not be the same as ours and that is O.K. We don't mind listening and discussing world events and politics when it is done is a calm and open environment. If you can't imagine staying and working along side someone whose views are different than yours, we are not a good choice for you.

  • Host offers payment in line with the minimum wage

    Host offers payment in line with the minimum wage

    This host offers accommodation and payment.

  • Help

    Help

    Our dusty barn needs cleaning of mosty dry hay and manure. It would be loaded on an atv trailer and relocated on our property. Our hoop house needs torn down and reconstructed. We can aways use firewood that needs to be cut. There is lawn mowing and various other chores. Some minimal light housekeeping is also included.
    We will offer four hours of minimum wage plus meals for legal workers.

    PLEASE INSURE YOUR LETTER OF INQUIRY REFLECTS YOU HAVE READ THROUGH OUR PROFILE AND WORK NEEDS COMPLETELY AND CONSIDER YOURSELF A GOOD PROSPECT FOR HARD, DIRTY WORK AND WHY.

  • Languages spoken

    English: Fluent
    Spanish: Beginner

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    Our home, completed five years ago is "rustic style" with reclaimed rough sawn floors and hand-peeled posts and beams. Furnishings include Old Hickory, log furniture and an abundance of custom made arts, crafts, and furniture. We have three heat sources (wood, electricity, and propane) but we heat efficiently and almost exclusively with wood and we love it! We have central air conditioning which we use only in late afternoons during the summer. Our nights, mornings and noons are fabulous as we live at 4300' elevation and of course, the north. There is a hot tub off the deck and by the creek for your use.

    Workawayers will be housed in our fifth wheel. We frequently also house Workaway help in our guest bedrooms upstairs in our house during colder times of the year. These rooms are upstairs in our house. When we have guests, Workaway help who are staying upstairs are required to use bathrooms downstairs. Please understand this when you accept a stay. This is minimal imposition.

    We enjoy all kinds of food and love to try new dishes. We eat a lot of meat, mostly venison, chevon, pork, and poultry. We love vegetables, large breakfasts and can enjoy very spicy food. I bake all our bread and make homemade goats' milk ice cream. While we've done it, accommodating vegetarians is difficult and we don't accept vegans. It's just too much of a strain on the operation of our hospitality. We will provide three meals/day. I don't mind sharing my gourmet kitchen and we love trying new things. Only a MODERATE amount of alcohol can be consumed in our home (1-2 drinks/day) and no drugs. We do not appreciate crude language. Please come with a cooperative attitude about our food. While I really do like to make minor accommodations for preferred preferences, I cannot customize our diet to fit the desires of Workaway help. For example, I do not always purchase organic foods and fresh fruits are extremely expensive in this region. So I provide some but not always a large variety. You are more than welcome to purchase items I have not provided that will fit your needs.

    Guests are welcome to use our laundry facilities.

    Our lifestyle is laid back, flexible and accommodating. It is very important that guests and Workawayers make themselves at home and not feel excluded in any way.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    Our acreage is located in a narrow canyon in the Bitterroot Mountains in Southwest Montana and dissected by a lively creek flowing just past the back deck of the house. The acreage is bordered on National Forest land that sustained a forest fire in 2000. It is still clearly evident. The view from our windows to the southwest are two minor peaks of the Bitterroot range and to the northeast is a Sapphire Range. Our creek empties into the East Fork of the Bitterroot River, a place of world-class fly fishing just a half-mile away. Our address is “Conner, MT” and our home is thirteen miles south of the small town of Darby, fifteen miles further is Hamilton. We are eighty-two miles south of Missoula and the nearest international airport. We will pick Workawayers up at the airport and take them back - only for Workawayers whose stay exceeds one week. To the south, just seventeen miles up the mountain is Lost Trail Powder Mountain Ski Resort and Chief Joseph XC Ski Trails. The dry powder makes skiing so wonderful skiers come from all over the country to ski on it and it’s very affordable! Hiking trails, ATV rides, camping, fishing, birding, wildlife observation or just becoming intoxicated on the scenery are all opportunities nearby. It’s an outdoor paradise year around! A day trip to Goldbug Hotsprings, near Salmon, Idaho is an absolute must!. We will provide some transportation for excursions and possibly a vehicle if the Workawayer has a driver's license, can demonstrate competency and provide fuel. Want to go backpacking or camping? We have equipment you can use as well as fishing gear. We also have two ATV's and will undoubtedly allow them to enjoy them in some way!

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    We recently updated our Wifi to Starlink. It is most adequate for any wifi needs . We have had digital workers here with no problem at all.

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    We have plenty of parking space. We do not have 30 or 50amp hook-ups. We do have a dump site.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • My animals / pets

    My animals / pets

    Daisy

    Daisy is a McNab Shepherd. She is very smart and is everybody's new best friend.

Host ref number: 288428838319

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Photos

The image depicts two individuals on the exterior of a log cabin, with one person standing on a beam and the other holding a red object below.
The image depicts a small, rustic log cabin with a green roof, situated in a wooded area, featuring a porch and a picnic table in front.
The image depicts a person riding an ATV, towing a trailer filled with firewood, in front of a wooden barn on a hillside.
Two men sit in a grassy field with trees and mountains in the background, surrounded by a serene and natural landscape. The atmosphere is peaceful and calming.
The image depicts a serene rural scene featuring a two-story house, a fenced yard with goats, and a picturesque hillside with trees and a clear blue sky.
A person rides a bicycle on a dirt road, surrounded by trees and mountains, with a fence and bushes lining the path, under a blue sky with white clouds.
The image depicts a kitchen with wooden floors and cabinets, featuring a central island with a stove and refrigerator, and a dining area in the background.
The image depicts three cyclists riding on a dirt path, surrounded by lush greenery and a wooden fence, with rolling hills and a clear blue sky in the background.
The image depicts a couple standing on the porch of a house, accompanied by a dog, with a serene mountainous landscape visible in the background.

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