About Us

OUR FARM

People have long use the idiom "middle of nowhere" to describe any place that is remote or isolated. But in February 2018, The Washington Post developed an algorithm that pinpointed Glasgow, Montana as the US town that best represents the "middle of nowhere." From Glasgow, it's about a 4.5-hour drive in any direction to reach a metropolitan area. Fifty miles north of Glasgow – i.e., north of "Nowhere" - is Opheim, Montana, the town nearest our farm. Opheim (with a headcount of about 82) wasn't included in The Post’s algorithm, but we are definitely more remote than the title winner. Opheim area farmers and ranchers have to drive to Glasgow to buy groceries, get our cars serviced, and do our banking. For those of us up north, the "middle of nowhere" is a metropolitan area. 

Opheim Montana highlighted on Map of Montana with bordering states

While living north of Nowhere has many logistical and business challenges, it also has its benefits. Life is quiet here. No person is a stranger. Neighbor helping neighbor is an everyday occurrence. Space is expansive – there’s no need to settle for just a little "elbow room" when living on the rolling prairies of northeastern Montana. And people aren't the only ones who benefit from our location. Our cattle roam vast acreage, feed on native prairie grasses, and have a great quality of life. 

The cattle of North of Nowhere Farm are valued not only for the exceptional meat they provide, but also for their crucial contribution to our regenerative agriculture practices. Healthy land is our most important asset. Our cattle help us improve the health of our prairie soil and the nutrient density of its food supply in a natural, chemical-free way. We care for our cattle like life in this remote countryside depends on it - and it does.

Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/02/20/using-the-best-data-possible-we-set-out-to-find-the-middle-of-nowhere/

 Collage of picking chokecherries, mowing, hay field at sunset, and two angus steers on North of Nowhere Farm, Opheim Montana.

Collage of wheat field, grain truck, cattle in pasture, and gravel road at North of Nowhere Farm, Opheim Montana

ABOUT US

When we left northeastern Montana to pursue college educations and careers, there wasn’t a thought of ever returning to the farm life of our childhood.  In our urban settings, however, what started for each of us as a desire to eat more healthfully grew into a passion for cooking, which grew into a love of gardening, which eventually took us full circle into a galvanizing interest in regenerative agriculture. Today, we’re thrilled to be back on the family farm, working alongside other family members!

North of Nowhere Farm essentially began in 1943 when our grandparents Melvin and Vivian Isakson purchased land near Opheim, Montana. Here they raised their three daughters, including our mother Darleen Isakson-Nordhagen. Family members have now been farming and ranching on this land for four generations. We’re sure our grandparents would be delighted that our “new” approach to agriculture places great value on many of their old ways: cattle that are pasture-raised and humanely treated, no use of growth-promoting hormones, utilization of natural methods to improve soil health, and commitment to providing clean healthful food. 

When you’re ready to buy lean, high-quality, grass fed and finished beef at an affordable price, it will be our honor to be your direct-from-farm provider.

North of Nowhere Farm photo collage of hamburgers, beef hot dogs and steaks on the grill, one of our angus steers, and Daren and Darlis Nordhagen in the pasture with cattle.

 

Angus cattle grazing in the summer in a North of Nowhere Farm pasture on the prairies of northeastern Montana.