Carrying on a family legacy is the goal for Calli Thorne. As she continues her great- grandparents' cow-calf operation on the same land they originally purchased in Watford City, North Dakota, Calli is passionate about her family’s cattle operation and the lifestyle it provides her family, including her husband CJ, and three kids: Tylee (14), Casen (12) and Laney (8). The family land requires a group effort and help and support from each family member, using their own strengths.

Calli is excited to pass down the generations of hard work and historically rich land to her own children one day.

While she encourages her kids to explore all types of opportunities, Calli is thrilled about the possibility of one or multiple of her children continuing the cattle business. She encourages Tylee, Casen and Laney, and she is also passionate about educating on the variety of different jobs available within agriculture to young producers.

“We’re big believers that there’s a lot of opportunities out there in agriculture that aren’t connected to taking over the family land,” Calli said.

When Calli and CJ aren’t busy with their cow-calf operation, they are kept occupied with their USDA federally inspected beef plant, Yellowstone River Beef, along with a custom backgrounding feedlot used for their own cattle and a handful of nearby customers. In addition to her involvement in the cattle industry, Calli is a certified team member with the John Maxwell Leadership Team, a worldwide leadership and coaching company. In this position, she provides a variety of keynote speeches, leadership training, group coaching, and mindset training with a focus on mental health.   

Calli acknowledges that one of the hardest aspects of agriculture, ranching, and life in general is mindset and mental health, which is why it is one of the topics that she frequently speaks on during her keynote presentations. She is passionate about keeping agriculture alive and flourishing through a positive mental outlook. Calli knows there are many uncontrollable challenges in farming and ranching, like fluctuating markets and weather, but with the correct attitude, Calli believes these can be overcome.

“The hard part is the mindset. In this industry, it is hard to grasp the large number of different things you have to understand and do to succeed. I think it’s important for kids and adults to have a willingness to continually educate themselves, stay connected within the industry, and really understand if what they’re building is something the next generation will want to come back to or not. Ranchers wear so many different ‘position hats’ that are necessary for a good operation,” Calli explained.

While typical ranching skills such as fence repair and cattle handling are important, taking a step back to evaluating the operation from a business perspective and understanding the financials is crucial and requires looking at options and decisions before they must be made. Having an outlined plan is necessary.

For future generations like her own children, Calli encourages people to take time to themselves. Allowing time to grow your mindset, think of new solutions, and enjoy life makes the basics of everyday more simple and successful.

“When a person takes time for themselves, they become a better individual capable of learning and applying more,” Calli said.

Calli and CJ work tirelessly to carry on their family legacy and steward the land they are responsible for, creating a better future for coming generations. She advises other producers to adopt this mindset in her speeches and presentations.

“If I could tell the future generation anything, I would tell them to take a lot of time and effort to make sure it is an enjoyable lifestyle. We’re only here for a little while so we might as well enjoy what we are doing. I’m a big believer in working smarter and harder, and being able to enjoy it, too,” Calli said.

She hopes to continue integrating her kids into the world of agriculture while preparing current and future cattle industry members for the challenges and achievements that are yet to come.