on the Range

At Work
Brands are read from left to right, 

top to bottom, outside to inside.

Before calves or lambs are moved to the pasture they are marked with the owner’s brand 

and vaccinated against disease. Brands are the animal’s ID (identification), like a driver’s 

license is to a human and a license plate is to a car. Brands act like a return address. If an 

animal gets out and goes over to a neighbor’s place, the neighbor can read the brand and 

know where to return the animal. Sheep brands are placed on the animal with a special 

paint. Branding day is a big event on the ranch; family, neighbors, and friends gather to 

help brand the critters.

Can you read these brands?

Reading Brands

R N Bar Flying U Chair T Lazy H

Answers (left to right): Diamond Bar, Lazy K over R, M Bar 9, lazy J M.

Did 

you know Montana is 

home to more farm animals than 

people? Lots of these animals live on 

our state’s abundant rangeland (more than 

38 million acres), which supports cattle, sheep, 

horses, deer, birds, and other animals. 

Rangeland plants provide many of the things that both 

animals and people need, like food and shelter. Farmers 

and ranchers work hard to take good care of our 

rangelands so that the land and animals are happy and 

healthy.

Farm animals raised on Montana’s rangeland provide 

each of us with food to eat, clothes to wear, and 

many other items we use every day such as 

toothpaste.

The activities in this book will introduce you to some of 

Montana’s agriculture products and how they help 

each of us. You are going to have a great time 

with these activities! Help us spread the 

word about how important rangeland is 

to the people here in Montana.

Have Fun!!

Hey Kids
Connect the Dots

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Lambs drink their mother’s milk and grow strong. A lamb will be almost grown 

when it is only six months old. It will weigh between 100 and 110 pounds. 

Spring is shearing time for sheep. Shearing is like getting a haircut. Their hair 

is a natural fiber called wool. The wool is removed as one piece and is called 

fleece. The oil in sheep’s wool is called lanolin. It is used to make lotion. 

Solve these math problems:

1) One of Woolgrower Wilma’s sheep grows a fleece that weighs ten 

pounds. After the fleece is scoured (washed) to remove the dirt and 

lanolin (oil), the wool weighs six pounds. How much 

dirt and lanolin was in the fleece?

______________ pounds

Help this rancher move the cattle from 

pasture to the barn.

Sheep can grow fine wool, 

medium wool, or coarse wool.

2) How many pounds of wool would be left 

after the fleece from two sheep is washed and 

the oil removed?

______________ pounds

Answers: 1) 4 pounds, 2) 12 pounds.
One 

cowhide 

can produce:

• 144 baseballs or

• 18 soccer balls or

• 12 basketballs or

• 20 footballs or

• 18 volleyballs or

• 12 baseball gloves

Did You Know?

H A Y B A L E F R

O W C L B A R N T

R A O A F I E L D

S G W M T E V I S

E R S B R A N D P

R A N C H E R C R

T S R S H E E P E

S S T R A C T O R

Farmers and ranchers provide the rest of the 

world with food and fiber. Unscramble these words 

and learn what they produce to make their livings.

Ranching is a job. Montana ranchers work 

hard, but it can be fun too. They work 

from sunup to sundown caring for their 

land, their livestock, and their families. 

Find these ranch words hidden in the box. 

Ranch Word Roundup

Unscramble the Types 

of Food and Fiber

WOLO

KILM

MTUTON

LRTHEAE

URGHAMREB

TKEAS

ECHESE

LONIOT

HAYBALE

BARN

TRACTOR

FENCE

HORSE

FIELD

COWS

SHEEP

RANCHER

GRASS

LAMB

BRAND

Answers: wool. milk, mutton, leather, hamburger, steaks, cheese, lotion.