Riding herd: A physician runs a Montana cattle ranch

An orthopedic surgeon fulfills her dreams by moving West, owning a ranch and practicing part time.

By Bob Cook, AMNews staff. March 3, 2003.

Making sidelines pay
Doctors who branched out beyond running their practice tell why they did it, how they did it, and what you should know before you do it. Contribute

Name: Aimee Hachigian-Gould, MD

Specialty: Orthopedic surgery

Location: Ulm, Mont.

Business: 7 Bar Heart, a 10-square-mile ranch raising hormone- and antibiotic-free cattle. The ranch has 150 mother cows, plus 200 head of cattle and a feedlot operation.

Annual revenue: Undisclosed; the ranch's beef these days sells for about $1.59 per pound, though that can vary.

Why she started the business: Dr. Hachigian-Gould, a native of Detroit, had dreamed of moving West, like her paternal grandfather did for a time when he was a cowboy in the 1920s in Montana. In fact, her first career goal has always been owning a ranch. "I really loved science, and I needed a way to bankroll things," she said, explaining the reason for becoming a physician. Her husband, Greg, is a fourth-generation Montana rancher; they married in 1991, six years after Dr. Hachigian-Gould moved to the state.