From Heritage to High Demand: The Rise of American Bison Ranching

I managed the dairy herd, while my brother and father looked after the crop farming operation that produced various feed for the cows. My son, Jim, was my right-hand man from a very early age. Even as a youngster, Jim demonstrated an indefatigable will to work, a genuine love for animals, and a special way of communicating with them. He was gifted—a real natural!  

Frequently, we had reason to drive past a ranch a few miles north of us, and had heard it had recently changed ownership. Initially, we noticed the construction of steel rail fencing and other improvements were considerably more stout and higher quality than was normal for the typical cattle operations in our area. Soon enough, though, the reason became obvious when the first bison arrived and were grazing on the lush grass pastures. I told Jim, “That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen! Someday I’d like to try my hand at raising buffalo.”  

I was hooked. Our Holstein herd and family farm were sold in 1990 to make way for a residential golf course development. I managed that venture for the landowner families and also invested in and managed a community bank in the nearby town of Lafayette. In 2002, I was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served for four years. Jim was busy with high school and college, and trying out several possible careers. I never lost my dream of a bison ranch, and Jim never lost his love of animals and that country lifestyle.  

I left Congress to run for governor of Colorado, but came up short of that dream in November 2006. The following March, we also sold the bank. A few months later, my dear wife, Claudia, recognizing I needed to get busy at something again, said, “Remember when we used to say, ‘If we were ever again at the right point in our life, we’d sure love to get back on the land…find a ranch…and run a herd of buffalo?’”  

With that, the search began, and in September of 2007, we found the right place, high up in the Northern Colorado Mountains in an area still very rural, sparsely populated, full of cattle and wildlife known as North Park. Two months later, we closed on the ranch, and a 20-year-old dream became reality. With the perimeter outline of the ranch resembling a bird’s wing, and a special fondness for the Christian Hymn, On Eagle’s Wings, our new adventure was christened Eagle’s Wing Ranch.  

Claudia and I told our four grown kids what we had done, and Jim asked the obvious question, “What are you going to do with it, Dad?” I told him I planned to put some bison on it, and he was quick to respond, “Well, you’re going to need some help. How about me?”  

My father worked alongside his dad on our original family farm, eventually taking it over when his dad passed away. I was blessed to learn about life and the farm at the hand of a real master, my dad, until we sold the farm and the cows in 1990. And now I’m privileged to have my son as my partner. Jim and his wife Julie have taken over the management of the ranch and bison herd. As much as I love the land and the majestic animals, witnessing the growth and pride of ownership, the thoughtfulness and dedication, attention to the myriad of little details, and passing the torch to my son is the greatest part of my dream come true.  

Much of 2008 was spent getting the ranch ready for bison. New fencing, working corrals, and outbuildings were erected, and our first hay crop was harvested. We had a big itch to get at least a few bison on the ranch as soon as it was ready, and in January 2009, we bought 17 pregnant 2-year-old heifers. In the next year or so, we added another group of bred 2-year-olds as well as a group of yearling heifers and weaned heifer calves. The core nucleus of our herd was established.  

Having now been part of the bison ranching fraternity for nearly two decades and with an established herd of a hundred mother cows, we can share some observations.  

Bison ranchers are still a relatively small group of highly dedicated, motivated people who are amazingly open to sharing the good ideas they have learned about managing these magnificent creatures, as well as the mistakes made along the way. Unlike other careers I have experienced where competition is fierce and knowledge is kept close to the vest, bison ranchers are willing – in fact, go out of their way – to share and offer a helping hand, especially to those new to the industry.  

For several decades before we got into the bison business, before there was enough of a critical mass of both animals and bison ranchers, before there was enough consumer awareness of the quality of bison as a healthy red meat product, and before there was enough consistent availability of product to purchase, bison were pretty much a novelty animal, just a few steps removed from “zoo animal” status, but hardly part of the mainstream of American agriculture or diets. That has changed dramatically and clearly is on a trajectory to continue with an upward trend.  

Today, there is a vibrant National Bison Association (NBA) with regional and state-based associations of bison ranchers throughout the U.S. “The growth of the bison industry over the last two decades has firmly established bison as a high-value sector of today's American agricultural economy,” says Jim Matheson, the Executive Director of the NBA. “The rise in consumer demand for bison meat has driven production, which currently outstrips available supply. This provides a unique opportunity for American farmers and ranchers to add value to their operations by adding bison to their pastures. Bison are a relatively low-maintenance livestock species, thanks to their still intact innate instincts that allow them to largely fend for themselves.” 

Matheson has been at the NBA for over 20 years, and says enthusiasm and opportunity for bison is the best he has ever witnessed, with scores of new people showing up at every bison event. Let us offer some evidence as to why that is the case.   

In the last quarter of the 19^th century, the historic population of 30 million or more of bison in the U.S. was nearly destroyed. Wildlife biologists estimate that as few as 300-400 total animals were left when the senseless slaughter ended. Thanks to less than a handful of conservation minded cattlemen and later some political and public policy leaders like Teddy Roosevelt those few hundred remaining bison after many decades became a few thousand and today 500,000 or more are thriving on private bison ranches like ours all across the nation, and another 50,000 are managed on various public lands, such as national parks and wildlife refuges, or on tribal lands within the United States. 

While minuscule compared to the 87 million cattle in the U.S., there is now enough critical mass of bison to create a steady, sustainable supply of bison meat for consumers. And, consumers have gotten the message that bison is THE HEALTHY RED MEAT. The following USDA nutritional chart validates bison as the low-fat, low-calorie, low-cholesterol, high-iron, B-12, and Omega-3 choice for health-conscious consumers, and it’s as flavorful as any beef steak you ever tasted!  

Increased availability and knowledge about the quality and nutritional benefits of bison has driven demand for meat in excess of the supply. Bob Dineen, Pres-CEO of Rocky Mountain Natural Meats (RMNM) in Henderson, Colorado, the largest processor of bison in North America, says his biggest problem is “I need a lot more animals to satisfy the ever-growing demand.”   

Let’s look at two benchmarks of the industry. First, ground bison – the source of all those coveted bison burgers. Dineen’s volume of ground bison sales has increased 570% since 2005, while the wholesale price per pound that RMNM gets from its grocery store and restaurant customers is up 252%. To have more bison meat to sell, Dineen and other processors keep raising prices paid to ranchers. USDA statistics indicate that for the same period, the price paid for market-ready young bulls (the industry bellwether) has increased 288% and 21% in just the last 18 months!   

Dineen says the growth “is a testament to the high quality of bison meat. Consumers are looking for this product because they love it and are willing to pay a premium price for it.”  

Like every other commodity, when demand outpaces supply, prices are pushed upwards. And that goes for live animals as well as finished products. As Executive Director of the NBA, Jim Matheson tracks bison auction prices for live animals across the country. Many of these animals would be sold to ranchers who will “finish” them for slaughter (feed them until they are in prime condition).  

As you would expect, prices for live animals have escalated over the last two decades, similarly to meat prices. For example, average prices for bull and heifer calves have increased 242% and 253%, respectively. Prices essentially doubled during the period for yearling bulls (190%) and heifers (203%). Again, the vast majority of these young animals will be destined for someone's kitchen table when they are 20-30 months old.  

Auction prices for older animals such as 2-year-old breeding quality bulls or pregnant females have more than doubled, as many ranchers are trying to add numbers to their herds and many new bison enthusiasts are looking for their initial seed stock. A good quality pregnant 2-year-old can bring $4,000 or more. And, bulls can often sell for twice that amount.  

A personal anecdote offers additional evidence of the robust market for bison. Last November, we sold a group of freshly weaned heifer and bull calves. They were about 6 months old and weighed around 450 lbs. We netted more for each of those young calves (about $1600) than we paid for all those pregnant cows we bought in 2009-10 that were the foundation for our herd.  

Bottom line, the numbers are in, and bison are a hot commodity. Even better, with all indications that demand for bison meat will continue to increase, there is every reason to be bullish on bison well into the future.  

In addition to bison ranching making good economic sense, we want to leave you with the best part of the bison business. Those magnificent animals are so unique, so amazing, so humbling…and we get to be near them and witness their greatness every day. We truly are among the most fortunate people on earth. There’s a guiding principle ingrained in every bison rancher: “Let bison be bison.” Meaning, those of us who have pledged to help restore a sustainable population of bison in North America are also committed to providing them with an environment as similar to, or even better than, the one they thrived in before the great slaughter nearly erased them from the earth.  

If you happen to have an itch for something unique or feel the need to fulfill a special dream, you might want to give a thought to bison. They can certainly put some additional change in your pocket, but more importantly, they will fill your heart with wonder, pride, and gratitude.