SD Farmers Union Celebrates the Maher Ranch Family of Ziebach County

By Lura Roti, for SDFU

 Growing up one of 12 on a ranch north of the South Dakota state line, Mike Maher has many fond memories.

 “We did have a lot of fun. My brother next to me and I would hop on our horses in the morning and lope eight miles to help our cousins work cattle,” says the third generation Ziebach County rancher. “We never knew what riding in a saddle was like – dad had the only saddle and we knew better than to touch it. We lived on a river, but none of us knew how to swim because our horses could swim. If we had to cross the river, Dad would always stand on the riverbank to make sure we all got across.”

 It could have been memories like these that impacted Mike’s decision to follow in his dad’s boots after high school – even though there wasn’t room for him on his family’s ranch.

 He’s not sure why he chose to be a rancher. But he does know this, “It’s all I’ve ever done. And, I don’t punch a time clock.”

 His youngest son, Wade, 35, can relate.

 “I was working as a welder for the mines, managing a bunch of people who did not want to do their job and decided that I needed to get back to the ranch,” explains Wade, who packed up his family and returned to ranch with his parents four years ago.

 Wade’s parents met at a dance when Mike was working on a ranch near Isabel.

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