Mother Range: Rearing Hope in America's Livestock Industry
Two first-generation ranchers and mothers in Montana fight to build a sustainable future for their families and communities in an industry stacked against them.
Mother Range follows Amber Smith and Jaimie Stoltzfus as they navigate the unforgiving realities of ranching - drought, rising costs, and the dominance of corporate meatpackers - while daring to imagine something different.
Separated by hundreds of miles but united by vision, Amber and Jaimie forge an innovative partnership: raising calves on Montana's eastern plains, grass-finishing them in the Absaroka Mountains, and delivering nutrient-rich beef directly to local consumers. Their collaboration offers not just survival, but hope for a new model of resilience rooted in community and care for the land.
Set against Montana’s sweeping landscapes and the quiet rhythms of ranch life, Mother Range is a story of grit, collaboration and possibility in the face of long odds.
Meet the Cast & Crew
Director
Anthony Pavkovich
Anthony Pavkovich is a documentary photographer and filmmaker based in Wisconsin, where he recently returned home after more than a decade in Montana. His work looks at the legacy of resource development on our communities, food systems, and landscapes. He is the visual media director for the Intertribal Agriculture Council.
Producer
Zach Altman
Zach is a filmmaker based in Livingston, Montana whose work explores the confluence between people and nature, with a focus on the stewardship of working lands and wildlife management. Zach is the communications manager at Western Landowners Alliance.
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Producer
Megan Torgerson
Megan is the founder, producer and host of Reframing Rural, an award-winning documentary podcast that challenges our assumptions about rural places by introducing listeners to working people, history and culture that don't always get the spotlight. Megan grew up on a farm and ranch in Dagmar, Montana and today lives in Missoula.
Editor
Eric Ian
Eric is a Bozeman-based photographer and filmmaker who’s had the privilege of producing films and images professionally for nearly a decade.
Cast
Amber Smith
Amber Smith is a Montana-based rancher and the Executive Director of Women in Ranching, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to hold brave space, support courageous action, and champion rural women’s leadership on the land.
Cast
Jaimie Stoltzfus
Jaimie is passionate about raising high quality meat and founded Cowgirl Meat Company to sell pork and beef direct from the ranch to consumers across the US. She is the Fellowship Director for Art of the Cowgirl, a gathering to celebrate cowgirls and western artists and their contributions to the western lifestyle.
