Private ListingsGet To Know Ken Gaskill
Ken Gaskill might be new to ranch real estate, but he’s no stranger to life on the ranch. The Gaskill family has been in Montana since the late 19th century, when they first settled south of Miles City and started up a cattle operation with just 20 head. You can spot Ken’s great-grandfather, Dan Gaskill, in some of the historic photos taken by photographer L.A. Huffman near Pumpkin Creek in Powder River County in 1896. Today, Ken and his wife Marni run their own cow/calf operation just a few miles away—carrying on the family legacy over a hundred years later, almost right where it all began.
Ken grew up in Volborg, Montana, working on the family cattle ranch, and received his degree in Animal Science at Montana State University in Bozeman. He spent his summers in the reproductive physiology department at the USDA Animal Research Service (ARS) in Miles City and then worked for the family business until he began his own operation in 2016. A year later, Ken and Marni launched another business, Horizon Marketing Agency, to provide online marketing services to seed stock cattle businesses in Eastern Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. “There just weren’t a whole lot of people that were doing anything online to market cattle at the time, and we wanted to fill that void,” says Ken.
The marketing company helped support the newly established cattle operation and eventually connected the Gaskills with Western Ranch Brokers. When Bill and Caleb approached Ken with the idea of joining the Western Ranch Brokers sales team, Ken couldn’t say no to the opportunity. He’s always had an interest in real estate, saying “I’ve always looked at land and assessed it through a cattleman’s eye—scrutinizing the details and considering how I would manage an operation on the property.” Joining the team of brokers who have also owned and operated ranches seemed like a natural fit for Ken.
Running a cattle operation and a marketing company, launching a real estate career, and raising two children means Ken’s days are typically long ones—but you won’t hear any complaints from him. Ken’s ranch experiences have taught him the value of hard work and the need for perseverance. “Our family was fortunate enough to make it through the hard times, but it wasn’t just luck—my great-grandfather and grandfather built a strong foundation and endured a lot over the years. They emphasized the need for resiliency and keeping things in perspective—what might seem like a really big problem today, might not be so big once you get through it.” Ken also abides by the rule that you always need a “margin of safety” in the ranch business because you never know what might happen in the market, or with the weather. “There’s always a dry year coming,” he says. His experiences have taught him to be prepared and to be conscious of how decisions made today will impact tomorrow.
Ken’s intimate knowledge of ranch operations, keen eye for detail, and forward-thinking perspective are just some of the reasons that Bill and Caleb knew he would be a good addition to the Western Ranch Brokers team. As Caleb noted, “Ken thinks from the perspective of an operator.He’s someone you can trust to help you make the right ranch real estate decisions because he knows what’s important, through his own experiences.” When asked for his advice for someone selling their Montana or Wyoming ranch, Ken said he thinks about being in that position himself. “Passing on the ownership of your ranch might be difficult, but there’s a sense of relief when you put it in the hands of someone you trust to carry on the legacy. In many cases, a ranch has been built up over several generations, so it’s important to feel like you’ve made the right decision.”
Throughout his professional endeavors, Ken focuses on establishing trust with his clients first and foremost. “Our first job is to make people feel comfortable and confident in what we do,” he says.
“Buying or selling a ranch is often the biggest transaction of someone’s life and I have first-hand knowledge of the pivotal role that land plays in the ranch business—making it even more important for me to get it right for my clients.”
As a business owner and a long-time member of the Montana farm and ranch community, Ken takes his responsibility as a real estate advisor very seriously—knowing what a ranch or a piece of land can mean to a family.
Cattle appraisals, ad deadlines, and real estate showings keep the Gaskills pretty busy, but when they do have some downtime they enjoy spending it at home with their children, watching cattle and throwing some of their home-raised steaks on the grill. Ken and his wife Marni are often on the road for business but enjoy meeting new people and exploring new places along the way.
Western Ranch Brokers is grateful to have Ken as a part of the ranch sales team and look forward to seeing his hard work and perseverance benefit all who work with him. Please contact Ken directly to learn more about his experience and how he can help you achieve your ranch real estate goals.
