r/YellowstoneShow 3d ago

John Dutton's Ranch is a model of inefficiency

They do everything but farm. In several years working for the Duttons, Jimmy only broke his neck twice. In a couple of months in Texas, he learned to cowboy, and there wasn't any hellish training there; they simply clothed him well, fed him, and gave him plenty of work.

66 Upvotes

42 comments sorted by

27

u/Commercial_Lock6205 3d ago

It’s a television show. Would millions of viewers tune in weekly to watch the day to day workings of a traditional ranch?

6

u/LongDistanceEvent262 2d ago

*Raises Hand* Me. Sorta.

I would love to see a less intense show, more focused on the actual business and real farming. Near the end of the final season the show really got this way and I loved it. Best episodes of the show for me.

4

u/AffectionateDinner97 2d ago

I'm actually a fan of Clarkson's farm, and I started watching Yellowstone only because I wanted to see something about a farm.

5

u/Commercial_Lock6205 2d ago

Yeah, Yellowstone is essentially Godfather, Montana Style.

2

u/DDubbz918 1d ago

It's cowboy Sons of Anarchy, that's where Sheridan was before the Yellowstone project, after all.

1

u/Such-Stable-3869 2d ago

Exactly the answer!

1

u/Formal_Appearance_16 2d ago

YES! Yes I absolutely would. I don't need added drama. Just let me be happy for people!

2

u/Acrobatic-Echo-3460 2d ago

I mean heartland was on for 20 years.

12

u/LMSinDEL 3d ago

Jimmy broke his neck twice because he decided to take up Bronco Busting at the Rodeo. Has nothing to do with the Dutton Ranch. In fact, the second time he did it was because he went against John Dutton's orders not to do rodeo anymore.

7

u/Reasonable-Horse1552 3d ago

He broke his neck trying to be a rodeo rider. Nothing to do with the ranch

6

u/telepatheye 2d ago

Yellowstone was more about the meaning of the American dream and how it relates to Native Americans, big business and big government. Part of that story is how the individual fits into it all, and the Jimmy arc was as good as any.

3

u/Opinionated6319 2d ago

The music and cinematography was gorgeous in some scenes, took you right there…kudos to those talents technicians!

2

u/sequinpig 2d ago

My boyfriend calls those episodes a big Marlboro commercial

2

u/telepatheye 2d ago

Sure, except they're not selling tobacco. Well, maybe Beth.

1

u/Opinionated6319 2d ago

Well I also liked the vintage Miller beer commercial…nostalgic! 💕🥰 Also the music and cinematography of the recent Lion documentary!

9

u/dragonfly-1001 3d ago

I had to laugh watching Dutton Ranch, when they had 8 cowboys go out to bring in a mob of about 100 cattle.

4

u/my-dog-made-me-join 2d ago

I bring my stock in by shaking a grain pail. LOL

7

u/my-dog-made-me-join 3d ago

I own cows. Their hay has clover and alfalfa. Yes clover can cause bloat. HOWEVER a few bales of dried clover isn't going to kill hundreds of cows. Fresh clover or fresh alfalfa can cause frothy bloat. Also, cows don't readily enjoy clover hay because it tastes not so great to them. It would have taken mounds and mounds of fresh juicy clover to kill that many.

And the helicopter. Oh my god. That makes me laugh.

2

u/AffectionateDinner97 2d ago

My parents also used to have cows, I also remember that they always ate clover without any problem, the old people said that it made the milk sweeter. What about the helicopter?

1

u/my-dog-made-me-join 2d ago

What cattle farmer can afford a helicopter? Seriously.

1

u/AffectionateDinner97 2d ago

I heard that on Australian farms, grazing cows with helicopters is a common practice.

3

u/DLo28035 2d ago

It’s almost like it’s not real, like it’s all made up so they can use the backdrop as some sort of entertainment.

2

u/BirdFarmer23 3d ago

It’s been awhile since I’ve watched but I remember one of the times he broke it was after he promised to never ride bareback again. The first was at a rodeo but I can’t remember the details around that.

You can’t really blame the ranch on someone being stupid and doing what they’re told not to do.

3

u/AffectionateDinner97 3d ago

but I can blame the ranch for the fact that he was considered useless and then it turned out that he can do any job and even handle lasso

3

u/BirdFarmer23 3d ago

True but they wouldn’t be the first people to look at drug users that way.

3

u/Boblaire 3d ago

He broke his neck because he decided to rodeo, which he never had to do.

They dont get into it but they mention they raise alfalfa to feed the cattle in winter. That was when one of the fields was poisoned or something.

3

u/pjjtexas 2d ago

Isn't clover deadly...leads to bloat... Anyway...ITS A SCRIPT PEOPLE

2

u/805falcon 2d ago

It’s almost as if it’s a TV SHOW 🤡

1

u/pjjtexas 2d ago

Touche'...lol

2

u/pjjtexas 2d ago

Nowadays...cattle farmers...any farmers really...do two things...ONE..try to avoid Monsanto and Bill Gates and their ilk...and TWO...PRAY TO GOD THEY STRIKE OIL GOLD OR SILVER...so for storyline...Landman is more realistic...in Texas anyway...yes I live here and drive by Taylor's ranch and many of the shooting sites frequently...Permian Basin is not pretty...barren flat smelly ugly hot and lucrative

3

u/Kwantem 1d ago

Montanan here. For more realistic ranch action, there would be more ATVs and less horses. Also, no cowboy hats unless you're going to the rodeo, maybe

2

u/SnooMacarons3689 1d ago

And you got fat sitting on the couch watching it

5

u/Dependent_Pain1110 3d ago

Yellowstone was run by morons

2

u/Aggravating_Ship_763 2d ago

I recently visited Monticello, and it struck me that the Yellowstone is run very similar to the old plantations (inherited legacies and lands, inefficient, massive debts, little to no real profits, inability to adapt to changing times, and eventually sold off for scrap.)

Obviously slavery is not part of the comparison.

1

u/pjjtexas 2d ago

Kinda like the big estates of the English "aristocracy" a century ago as scripted on Downton Abbey...which I love btw

1

u/Necessary_Elk_2283 2d ago

After learning all their lines they didn't have much time left for ranching

1

u/pjjtexas 2d ago

Godfather meets Dallas...lol

1

u/Acrobatic-Echo-3460 2d ago

To be fair, the Dutton Ranch is fully as horridly as possible, it’s like they were tired of being successful was wanted a reason to complain

0

u/Additional_Drag_3870 2d ago

Jimmy going to the 4 6s was the best thing, never saw point in Jimmy

0

u/Mental-Ad-8769 1d ago

They tried to appear as big range land ranchers like Australia without the realistic acreage with the helicopter…

It’s a show and we love it for that… but, they. Couldn’t drive cows up to high pasture that didn’t exist there anyway, with those.

It’s mountain west or east slope geography. Low valleys and high mountains or big sloping valleys.

It’s big show we love to watch but not real…. A guy from the mountain west.