Chris Bechtold
Montana HD 17
Needed Change for the front Range
Like every farmer, rancher, small business owner and Montanan, Chris knows that the best way to fix something is to roll up your sleeves and get it done.
Having made a living along the mountains, Chris also knows that sometimes you have to be resourceful to keep everything running.
Chris wants to keep Montana on track and leave it better for future generations. That means thinking through legislative decisions beyond the next election cycle and doing what’s best for our children and our land so Montana remains the Last Best Place.
Meet Chris
Chris worked the majority of his life on the Front Range and in the mountains. He holds a B.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana.
For the last 25 years he managed two large ranches west of Choteau. The first was a Certified Organic Cattle Ranch that for a time was one of the largest organic ranches in Montana. The second was a large bison ranch, from which he most recently retired.
Chris' history in Agriculture, Range, and Wildlife Management is as varied as the weather around the mountains.
Working in the extremes of our area requires flexibility and creativity. Markets change, rain comes (but mostly goes), and the wind blows. To make it, producers have to be frugal, adaptive and smart about their choices.
Chris has a proven track record of doing just that. He also owned and operated a small business, thus understands scrappy creativity.
Prior to all of this, Chris spent a number of years working on ranches along the Front and guiding and packing in the Bob Marshall. He still finds the time to escape the modern world to chase elk and enjoy the wild and untrammeled freedom of the wilderness.
Chris raised four children in the public school system. They are all grown and pursuing their passions and dreams in Montana.