Harris family's Bar H Bar Ranch reaching fifth generation

Running and sustaining a farm takes an entire family — now more than ever.

As of 2022, roughly 96 percent of farms in the United States were proudly family owned.

Keeping these farms family owned and operated is a challenge. But it's important because not only does the economy thrive on family owned farms but such ag operations instill an appreciation and respect for the land that enhances natural resources.

Bar H Bar Ranch, owned by the Harris family, is in the rural community of Nounan in Bear Lake County. It is an Angus/Hereford cattle ranch that raises hay and grain crops.

The Harrises work hard to keep their ranch in the family year after year.

Pride in the Harris farming legacy is now reaching the family's fifth generation.

Guy Harris originally bought the Eight Mile Canyon property in 1948 so they could easily collect stray cattle that roamed over the summer grazing range in Lago. In 1971, Guy and his sons McGee and Robert purchased adjacent land that was once owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for a tithing ranch.

The Harris ranch has been productive for decades since, raising cattle, horses, sheep as well as crops like hay, barley, oats and wheat.

But farming for the Harrises has always been about more than just growing crops and raising cattle. It is family working side by side with a common goal. Though the ownership has been passed down through the generations, the pride and dream that started with Grandpa Guy lives on.

Even the youngest of the Harris clan work alongside their fathers, grandfathers, uncles and cousins and share the responsibilities and chores to get the work done.

This kind of work ethic ensures the ranch will carry on from generation to generation.

Chad Harris who is part of the family's fourth generation shares how coming back to the ranch was always a dream of his.

Though his childhood was filled with hours of moving pipe, mending fences, chasing cattle, bailing hay and harvesting grain, none of that mundane work was bothersome because it all started and finished with family and a meal at the table.

He said, “The time together meant everything to me and I knew this is where I wanted to raise my own family. The things we are able to teach my kids on a farm are unmatched. Those life lessons are priceless.”

The challenges every rancher faces are similar. Idaho's harsh winters and long springs are always a test of patience and endurance. The rising costs of inputs, volatility and cattle prices don’t help. The price of land alone is an enormous challenge for anyone wanting to start and grow a farm.

For that reason and more, generational farms like Bar H Bar Ranch need to be preserved.

Thanks to their hard work and dedication, the Harrises' farm is sitting strong and forging ahead with a future that can only be described as bright.