Answer: All our bison are not on one farm. We are an assembly of over 10 very small family farms, regenerative/conservation-minded ranchers, and Nature Conservancies, that all work together toward the same standard of as nature intended. The average herd is around 50 head, but varies from 5 to several hundred. Annually, every rancher or farmer(including us) signs our strict producers affidavit(that remains the highest standard in the industry) that resides on file in our office as well as on file with the Department of Trade & Consumer Protection in Madison, WI. Our producer's affidavit is basically a sworn oath we renew every year as a renewed, conscious commitment to the good of the land, people, and animals to the absolute best of our knowledge and abilities. It's fun to see what this document has become over the years as we grow and learn together, continually becoming better stewards of what we've been entrusted with. We ask questions and enlighten each other often as we see and experience varying results in land or animal health indicators that ultimately lead to better tasting, higher nutritional density product. Nature has it's way of doing things that is fascinating. We are simply students, trying to discern, understand, and replicate how nature functioned before roads, fences, houses, etc. Our ranches are mini ecosystems which are extremely complex, interesting, and exciting! Our network of like-minded producers continues to grow. We want to be a conduit for customers like you to be able to make real impacts on the land and continued restoration of bison and other valuable wildlife species through your purchases. Our heartbeat is consumer direct because we learn so much from you, want to serve you as best as we possibly can, and allow the maximum amount of your dollars to be making a very real difference. A difference for small-farm families who are passionate about doing right by the land and animals, remnant native species, and endangered prairie and savanna ecosystems. Your impact is significant in our fight for what we believe our world can look like. For reference, the US Beef industry hovers at about 90 million head and slaughters about 125,000 beef per day. Bison(once 60 million +/- strong)hover at about 400,000 animals and harvest about 70,000 bison per year. Half a day of Beef slaughter = an entire year of bison harvest.If you're buying bison meat, you're making a significantdifference!!! Bison meat sales demand is fueling the reclamation of bison territory and, in our case in Wisconsin & Minnesota, actually reverting mono-culture crop land back into beautiful native grassland & savanna blend ecosystem habitats that support incredibly diverse wildlife populations that are fading (such as prime pollinator habitat). Check out Cedar Creek & Belwin Conservancy as two great examples of the real impacts your support is making!
