J Lazy S Angus Ranch

10/11/2026

What started as a tool for recovering from wildfire has become a game changer for ranch management at the J Lazy S Angus Ranchin Carmen, Idaho.

After the 2022 Moose Fire, Jay and Chyenne Smith turned to virtual fencing to manage cattle across a vast, rugged landscape. Four years later, the technology is helping them improve grazing management, save time and labor, and even explore removing physical fences to open up wildlife corridors.

Last week, Western Landowners Alliance joined the Smith family to host a ranch tour bringing together landowners, agency staff, and partners to see these tools in action and discuss the future of ranch stewardship.

Through a partnership between Western Landowners Alliance and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, ranchers across Idaho are putting virtual fencing to work to support post-fire recovery, improve livestock management, and protect wildlife habitat.

A big thanks to the Smith family for opening their ranch and sharing what they've learned!

Learn more: https://westernlandowners.org/

10/10/2026

Did you know it can take conifer trees 20 years to start growing pine cones (which is where the seeds are)?

We are on year 5 of recovering from the Moose Fire and where it burned through quickly and at not a raging temperature we are seeing the starts of new trees, but the danger isn’t over unfortunately…

…just one more reason grazing is a huge benefit. This area only had a handful (maybe 10 cows) go through so next season we’ll need to make sure more get here. It was good to see so much grass in seed because the soil is still recovering too.

There’s a definite balance and as ranchers we pay very close attention to it.

10/09/2026

10/01/2026

We’re had 6 sets of twins already, not sure if I thought we wouldn’t have any with fall calving but I was still surprised!
The nice difference is we don’t need to separate them as the cows can keep track of them in the pasture (we used to because they couldn’t reliably keep track of them on range) but this little girl got confused at some point early on and her mom didn’t want her anymore.
Joy the little milk cow to the rescue.
She’s pretty good about letting anything nurse but I wanted to make sure this tiny girl got the idea right so I brought Joy and her calf to the corral for a few days to get everyone trained up on the program.
The first day I tied up Joy, the second day I just held the lead and by day three we were able to just watch.

09/11/2026

What does resilient ranching look like in practice?

This October, join Western Landowners Alliance and the Smith family for a field day at J Lazy S Angus Ranch in Carmen, Idaho, to see how stewardship, innovation, and working lands come together.

The tour will explore the ranch’s use of virtual fencing for post-fire recovery, water conservation, forest management and selective timber harvesting, along with the economic realities of putting these practices to work.

Participants will hear directly from the Smiths about their experience working with partners including WLA and NRCS, and how technology and collaboration are helping build a more resilient ranch and landscape.

📍 J Lazy S Angus Ranch | Carmen, ID
📅 October 2 | 9 a.m.–3 p.m. MDT

Open to landowners, producers, agency partners, and community members.

Register here:

https://pci.jotform.com/262174591891163?utm_name=sked&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=sked_6a98a3830ac612cd14d3b332