Driving out of Lewistown, Montana, the traditional fire danger sign unexpectedly points to “Low.”

“That arrow’s broken,” Ali Fox laughs ruefully as she sets a course for the PN Ranch along the Missouri River, 55 miles to the north. Drought arrived in the high plains of eastern Montana in early 2021, and by March of 2022 the situation was dire. Winter brought little snow, and instead of the greening promise of spring, the plains stretch brown and yellow in every direction. “The drought is bad, and really hard on our neighbors,” she says. “And hard on us for our bison herd.”

Last year local ranchers trucked in hay from as far as the Midwest to feed their cattle. Some sold their herds, and if the drought doesn’t break, more selloffs are expected.