A Day in the Life - Bison Blog

We are posting videos, under banfield215, on Tiktok, attempting to reach a broader audience and share peaceful scenes from our farm. We will continue to post photos to our website to let you follow along with scenes from the farm.

We hope that you enjoy it!

We have been watching 11 carefully for a week or so, believing that she was close to calving. She had been charging the fence recently, and her teats were hanging very low. This morning, she has a beautiful calf with her, appearing to be just a few hours old. We are thankful for this blessing and are praying for good health for the newborn and mother.

"Where flowers bloom, so does hope." –Lady Bird Johnson

It was a relief to get almost three-quarters of an inch of rain recently. Our fields were very dry. Shortly before that, we spread lots of manure on the hay fields. We believe it will help our hay production next year. We collect the manure from around the feeding platforms, helping to reduce parasites, let it sit for a year or so, and then spread it with an old-fashioned manure spreader. Using what the bison provide is a great cost-effective alternative to purchasing fertilizer.

The meat from our recent harvest is now available and we are reaching out to those who pre-ordered meat. We have added new cuts of roasts - chuck, arm and rolled rump. Please see the "Meat Information" tab for current availability. Pricing can be obtained by calling us at 269-721-3803.

We had our second cutting of hay recently. It was not a lot, but we consider it icing on the cake. NOAA is predicting above average snowfall, and we feel good about the supply that we have available.

We have been busy this week, receiving deliveries of hay, moving bales, stacking bales, and covering bales. We are happy to say that we have what we need for the winter. It feels good to have that behind us.

It is that time of year, the bison rut, or annual mating season. Cochise has currently set his sights on Short Horn. You may recall from other posts, that Short Horn likes to relax in our feeder. She is still doing that and Cochise either paces around the feeder or lies next to it. If you hear what sounds like a lion roaring, it may be Cochise making his preferences known.

The meat from our second harvest is available for sale. Please check the "Meat Information" tab that is updated for current availability. If you pre-ordered meat, we have called or emailed you. Please check your spam folder. We appreciate your business!

We had a visitor today who wanted to see the herd. While we were watching them, we noticed 83 was running other animals away and seemed cranky. We have suspected for the last couple of weeks that she was getting ready to calve. When we checked the animals in the early evening, she had a spirited calf standing next to her. What a beautiful sight!

We are steadily building our winter hay supply, currently buying first-cutting hay from a local farmer. He is dodging the recent rainfall, trying to cut and bale during dry weather while keeping his equipment in working order. Anyone who thinks it is easy has not tried it. We appreciate him!

Once the hay is delivered, we are busy moving and stacking it on pallets. Then we cover it with tarps to help protect it until we use it. Some days it is a rush job, trying to accomplish it before rain arrives here. 

We usually get a second cutting from our fields, and we hope they will produce well. Rainfall has been good this year, not quite up to last year, but at least we are not in drought conditions.

We monitor our hay usage and supply and compare it to prior years to be sure that we are on track to have enough for the winter. 

Our youngest calf was spunky and active after it was born but, a few days later, we noticed it limping with its back legs. It improved after a few days but then became much worse. We believe that a larger animal accidentally injured it. The calf passed away at 6 days-old. It is always sad to see such a precious animal die young but we are comforted by the memories of the first few days of its life. The mother was reluctant to leave, but eventually moved with the herd to the other field. Rest in peace little one.

The bison weathered the extreme heat without much trouble. We ran a sprinkler during the day and this time they used it. Some of the herd even allowed us to hose them down, including the newest mother. We also added ice to the water troughs to keep the water at a cooler temperature and encourage them to drink. Finally, the heat broke with a third of an inch of rain.

One cow seemed particularly hot, and she had her two front legs in the big trough several times. The day after the heat broke, we found her with a calf. The calf seems healthy and strong. The other two calves are doing well too. We still have above normal temperatures in the forecast, but it is much better than it was.

After a very hot day, we went to the field the following morning to find that 10 had a newborn calf. We had looked at her closely the day before and did not see any sign that she was close to calving. The calf seems very spirited and we pray that it will do well in the coming heat wave. Last night's rainfall was needed and it is nice and cool today.

"Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.” - Langston Hughes

Our first cutting of hay is in, and we bought a neighbor’s first cutting. It was 85 degrees while we stacked and covered it. It feels odd to prepare for the winter in this weather, but you know that expression, “make hay while the sun shines.”

Jiffy Cornbread Taco Bake

Ingredients

·         1 pound ground bison

·         1 10 oz. can Rotel, or diced tomatoes with green chilis, drained

·         1 packet of taco seasoning

·         1 8.5-ounce Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

·         1 egg

·         ¼ cup milk

·         ¾ cup sour cream, divided

·         1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated, divided

·         ½ cup Pepper Jack cheese, grated

Toppings:

·         black olives, drained and sliced

·         salsa

·         grated cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, cook the bison until brown, breaking it into small pieces.

Add taco seasoning packet and ½ the amount of water on package directions. On medium heat, continue to cook the meat until liquid has evaporated.

In a medium bowl add Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, adding in the eggs, milk, and only ¼ cup of sour cream. Mix until combined.

Prepare a 9x9 baking dish with non-stick spray.

Next layer the meat, the drained Rotel (tomatoes), and then spread the corn muffin mix with a spatula over the tomatoes until smooth.

Sprinkle ½ cup each of the Sharp Cheddar cheese and all the Pepper Jack cheese on top and place in the oven. (Reserve the remaining cheese for the topping.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, touching the middle of the corn bread to make sure that it is firm. If it is jiggly, then cook for a few more minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes.

Slice into squares and add toppings.

We were counting bison this morning and realized that a heifer was not with the herd. We went for a walk and found her over the hill with a calf. The first-time mother is Beauty. Cow and calf both appear to be well. What a wonderful start to the day!

“If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” –Vincent van Gogh

We are proud to have partnered with Chester's Wild Meats for our first harvest. Check them out on Facebook or on their website, https://www.chesterswildmeat.com. Their mission is to promote sustainable, farm-to-table practices with a side of humor. They are really nice folks and extremely easy to work with! They also partner with Twelve Baskets, a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit food pantry serving Portage, Schoolcraft, Vicksburg, Three Rivers, and surrounding communities. 

If you are interested in a quarter bison, contact Chester at 269-720-6176. If you are planning to plant a garden, visit their Butchers Garden for tomatoes, strawberries, herbs and hanging baskets. We bought their Tumbling Tom tomatoes, and they look great!

Lately we have had an interesting time with our bull, Cochise. First, he took an interest in our mineral feeder, frequently removing it from its location. We had secured it to a fence post with a tow strap but he continued to loosen it and move it to his preferred location. He also dented it many times and we had to stretch it back out using a winch and UTV. We drilled holes in the ground and put six-inch high lumber pieces around it to keep it in place and that has helped.

He has always enjoyed fooling around with an interior gate that we use to access the field, “helping” us open it. This activity reached new levels recently and the gate is now bent with a broken top bar. We are going to swap it out with a lesser-used gate from our chute, the passageway to the summer field. Then we will replace that gate when we are able to obtain a new one. It is times like these when we are reminded of the strength and force of which bison are capable. Fortunately for us, our herd is normally calm and well-behaved.

We are keeping a close eye on one of our cows who is acting cranky. This is normally a sign that a cow is getting close to calving. She is usually a sweet, middle-of-the-herd gal but she has become more dominant, frequently running to the fence when people are nearby. We look forward to seeing a calf soon.

We have had some visitors here learning about raising bison and others came to purchase meat and saw the herd. We enjoy sharing what we have learned over the last 12 years.

The herd has been pressing to move to the summer field, so we let them through. There is not much grass there, but they are happy, and we can feed hay there. It will give us a chance to do maintenance in the main field before moving them back. Our lead cow, 11, seems rather irritable lately and we wonder if she will calve soon. 

It has been a wet week with over 3 inches of rain in the last five days. More rain is predicted for the next two days. We are still in a moderate drought so we appreciate it, knowing that it will help the fields grow.

“There is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.” - John Ruskin

Spring officially arrives in a week, but we already have a taste of it. We hear new birdsong every day and our snow has melted, except in the areas that get the most shade. The bison roam the entire field now hoping to graze. Several of the animals have started to shed their winter coats. The bulls seem to shed first along with one cow. We are often asked when we will have calves, because the cattle in the area will begin calving soon. The earliest date one of our cows calved is April 28th. We will keep you posted!

We had snow, warm temperatures, then cold temperatures and it created glacier-like conditions on our property. The animals are sure-footed and do not seem troubled by it, but it is dangerous for us to walk around. Even the weight of the tractor would not break it up. Thankfully, a small amount of snow fell last night giving us more traction. We hope that it stays this way!

The polar vortex has arrived and our temperature now is -2, feels like -12. We just checked on the bison and they are all fine. They have hay to eat and the trough heater is keeping a small hole open. We have read that bison eat snow to replace fresh water so we are not too concerned with the water trough, as long as it doesn't freeze completely. Temperatures are expected to rise tomorrow and we will remove the top layer of ice. We are thankful that the animals are very hardy and that the cold spell is expected to end soon. Wherever you are, we hope that you are safe and warm.

This time of year, we normally put in two large round bales of hay every three days. That is about right for our herd of bison. But we also keep an eye on the weather. Our hay is stacked under tarps which can be challenging to uncover in high winds. Also, if it is exceptionally cold or snowy, we would rather avoid that weather. Today was day two after the last feeding but the winds are picking up and colder weather and more snow are arriving tonight. We had enough room on the feeders to add bales, so we took care of that today. Tomorrow, we will be checking the water a couple of times to be sure the heater keeps it accessible. Other than that, we may sit by the fire. 

All is well with the herd!

Here is a different way of using bison round. We hope that you enjoy it. 

Slow-Cooker Bavarian-Style Bison and Sauerkraut

Ingredients

·         1 tablespoon olive oil

·         2 pounds bison round, trimmed

·         2 teaspoons caraway seed

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         1/3 cup dark brown sugar

·         1 bag (12 ounces) frozen small whole onions (pearl onions)

·         1 can (16 ounces) sauerkraut, undrained

·         1/2 cup beef flavored broth

·         1/4 cup all-purpose flour

·         1 tablespoon dijon mustard

 Instructions

·         Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook bison in oil about 5 minutes or until brown on all sides. Sprinkle with caraway seed and salt.

·         Place bison in crock pot. Place onions, sauerkraut, sugar and 1/4 cup of the broth around beef.

·         Cover and cook on low heat for 6 hours.

·         Remove 1/2 cup juices from crock pot. Mix with flour, remaining 1/4 cup broth and the mustard in small bowl; gradually stir into crock pot. Cover and cook 15 to 30 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Several days ago, we discovered a yearling who was bleeding. She had pulled her horn cap off, exposing the core underneath, probably while rooting in the snow. Just like a head injury in humans, this bleeds quite a bit for a brief time. The very cold temperatures caused the blood to freeze on the side of her head. She looked ready for Halloween. This type of injury has happened a couple of times in the last 11 years and we know that it heals on its own, but her horn will never grow back. She is eating well and moving with the herd, seemingly unfazed by it. We are keeping our eyes on her and on one of the calves that is moving slowly. We believe that the calf may have been knocked around by a larger animal. She is also eating well and staying with the herd but positions herself on the perimeter. Our bull has been interested in one of the cows recently, and a little out sorts, so she may have been injured when he caused the larger animals to move. We wish that we could solve these issues but we know that is not possible and that we must be patient.

 "Adopt the pace of nature. Her secret is patience." –Ralph Waldo Emerson

A winter storm blew through yesterday with high winds and snow thunder, leaving 4-5 inches on the ground. The fresh snowfall helped keep our tarps in place, despite the wind. The herd had made short work of the hay that we gave them two days ago, depositing a good bit of it on the ground. We put two bales in again today. We noticed a problem with our water trough before the storm, eventually discovering that the GFI was the issue. Today we were able to remove most of the ice that accumulated during that time so we should be in good shape. The herd weathered the storm without any issues and are enjoying the hay. 

Cold temperatures and snow are forecasted for our area. Several inches fell last night. We look forward to seeing the beauty of winter. This week, we put the trough heater in place so that the water won’t freeze. Soon we will remove the shorter calf trough because the calves are tall enough to reach the water in the large trough. The animals are healthy, and we believe that we have plenty of hay for the winter. The herd stays close to the feeding platforms, so they are easier to see from the road. We notice many people slow down to look at them and it pleases us to know that others also appreciate bison.

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is time for home."-- Edith Sitwell

We tried this recipe and enjoyed it. We hope that you do too!

Amish hamburger steak bake

Steaks:

• 1 pound ground bison

• ¾ cup ritz cracker crumbs (1/2 sleeve)

• ½ cup milk

• ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

• ¼ teaspoon onion powder

• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 chopped jalapeno (optional)

• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Small amount of flour, for dusting steaks 

Gravy:

• 10 ounces (1 can) cream of mushroom soup

• 1 can sliced mushrooms

• ¾ cup milk

Directions:

• Put the ground bison, cracker crumbs, milk, Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, jalapeno, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper into a mixing bowl. Combine well.

• Shape the mixture into 4 hamburger steaks.

• Heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet. Lightly dust the steaks on both sides with the flour. Place in the hot oil and cook until golden on both sides. (The steaks will not be cooked through at this point.)

• Place the hamburger steaks into a 9x9 baking pan.

• Stir together the cream of mushroom soup, mushrooms and milk.

• Pour the mixture over the hamburger steaks.

• Cover the baking dish with a lid or aluminum foil.

• Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 1 to 1½ hours, checking every 10 minutes or so after an hour. (Uncover during the last 5 minutes or so of baking time.)

• Serve the steaks over egg noodles, rice or potatoes.

The weather is just now turning cooler, but we have been busy preparing for winter. Hay has been harvested from our fields and supplemented with deliveries from a local farmer. The bales are stacked on pallets to keep them from freezing to the ground. Then we cover the stacks with tarps to keep the rain off and the snow from freezing on top of them. One of the hay feeding platforms needed repair. The animals like to jump in it. We aren’t sure if that damages it or if the hay bales that are dropped on it make it break. It has been repaired, again. The water troughs received a thorough cleaning, and we installed wood to hide the heater cord once we begin using it. Soon we will remove the calf trough when we are sure the calves are tall enough to reach water in the big trough. The herd moved back to the main field, and they will stay there for the winter. It is always nice to have the herd closer to the house. Most of the herd are showing winter coats and we have a feeling it could be a winter with lots of snow. It feels good to be ready for it.

Fall is in the air today and this makes a nice dish for cooler weather.

·         2 pounds ground bison

·         ¼ cup chopped onion

·         1 jalapeno, chopped (optional)

·         2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

·         ½ cup sour cream

·         1 tablespoon cumin

·         1 tablespoon chili powder

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         ½ teaspoon pepper

·         1 can black beans

·         1 2.25 ounce can sliced black olives

·         2 10-ounce cans red enchilada sauce

·         1 10-ounce package flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish.

Cook ground beef, onion and jalapeno until meat is brown and crumbly. Turn off heat and stir in 1 cup of the cheddar cheese, all the sour cream and spices. Mix well. Add enchilada sauce, beans and ½ can of olives. Mix well again.

Spoon about a ¼ to ½ cup of the mixture into each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. Cover with leftover mixture, remaining cheese, and olives.

Bake until hot and bubbly, about 25 minutes.

We really enjoy bison round steak cooked in the crock pot. Here is an easy recipe that is sure to please.

·         1 pound bison round steak

·         8 ounce can mushrooms

·         1 onion, sliced

·         ½ teaspoon garlic powder

·         ½ teaspoon onion powder

·         ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

·         ¼ teaspoon salt

·         ¼ teaspoon pepper

·         ½ cup bison bone broth, or beef broth

·         ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

·         1 and ½ tablespoons tapioca mixed with a little bit of water

·         1 and ½ tablespoon heavy whipping cream

Put round steak in crock pot and cover with mushrooms and onions. Add all the rest, except for tapioca and cream. Cook on low for 4 hours. Check meat to see if it is breaks apart easily. If not, cook a bit longer. When it breaks apart easily, pull apart into bite size pieces.

Stir in tapioca mixture and cream. Cook another 15 minutes. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

Stock up your freezer for the winter with ground bison.. The meat is 100% grass fed and finished, antibiotic-free, hormone-free, raised from birth on our farm in a low stress environment, and USDA certified. To get the sale price, meat must be picked up no later than September 30 with a minimum order of five pounds.

We also have round steak, stew meat, liver, heart, soup bones with meat, and femur bones with marrow available now.

Quantities are limited and there are no rain checks. Please call or email us for pricing and to reserve your meat now.

Our third harvest is complete and we have contacted those who pre-ordered. Please call or email if you would like to stock up your freezer for the winter.

We are grateful for all that have been provided to us.

It is feeling like fall! Here is a new recipe that we tried and enjoyed.

Red Beans and Ground Bison

• 1 pound ground bison

• 2 cans red beans (15-ounce cans, drained)

• 1 large bell pepper (diced)

• 3 celery ribs (diced)

• 2 cloves garlic (minced)

• 1 large onion (diced)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 cups bison bone broth

• 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning

• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 can tomato paste (6-ounce can)

• 1 small yellow squash (thinly sliced)

• 1 jalapeno (diced)

In a large stock pot add the olive oil, onion, and ground bison. Cook until browned. Mash one can of beans. Add mashed beans and the rest of the ingredients to the stock pot and cook over medium heat for approximately 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf and discard. Serve with cooked rice.

We had our hay fields cut, raked, and baled over the last few days. We anticipated poor results as the grass was short, despite rainfall since May 1st being about four inches above the 30-year average. The grass must have been thick as the cutting was about the same as our first cutting.

The rainfall has been terrific for the pastures, and we are very thankful.

We were cleaning the water trough with the bison nearby. They are curious and seem to enjoy watching us do things like that. Neighbors were moving two horses into a trailer. Another neighbor’s horse became unsettled and escaped, eventually making its way onto our property. It ran over to the bison and stopped. The bison were startled but did not react much. The horse, already agitated, looked at the bison and stopped. We suspect that it had never seen bison before. Then it ran down the fence by them, decided it did not like the looks of the herd and ran away. The horse made it home safely. We do not think that it will choose to visit again.

Our youngest calf was small and frail at birth. It nursed, but never seemed to thrive. Its life on earth was just not meant to be. Last night, its soul was set free and it thundered away. The mother was reluctant to leave the calf but eventually did and the herd moved to another field. We laid the calf to rest. Rest in peace, precious little one.

Our herd is usually calm and quiet when we are around them. They are used to seeing us and seldom react. We have learned that, when the cows act feisty, they may be close to calving. That was the case yesterday, when one of the cows followed us as we walked around the fence. She was grunting and moving quickly, enough that we took another path so that she would calm down. This morning, a newborn calf accompanied her. Both mother and calf appear to be doing well.

P.S. The next day another cow gave birth. We are thankful that all of the herd is healthy.

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”- Rachel Carson

We have watched our first-time mother being followed by her calf and the orphan calf. This morning, we heard her call the orphan calf to her and then nurse it. We were thrilled. The orphan calf is doing very well.

"Let us permit nature to have her way. She understands her business better than we do." - Michel de Montaigne

We purchased hay from two local farmers to supplement what we grow in our own fields. Most of it arrived over the last few days. The farmer pulls his trailer in front of our driveway, and we offload the hay. Then he leaves and we move that hay to its location for the winter, stacking it in a long pyramid shape on top of pallets. Once the hay is stacked, we cover it with tarps and tie them to the pallets. The last few days were long ones, and we are glad that is behind us. 

Our second harvest is complete and meat is ready for pickup. Please give us a call to schedule a time. Thank you to everyone who participated in this harvest!

We are happy to report that the orphan calf is doing very well. Our youngest cow, a first-time mother, has become its surrogate mother. She walks with two calves now and we believe that she is letting the orphan calf nurse. The calves have been close since birth and that probably helped. The entire herd has accepted the orphan calf and seems to be looking out for it. We are very thankful!

This morning, we found 4 in distress. She had a physical abnormality that worsened after she calved. Shortly after we found her, she passed away leaving her two-month-old calf. We take comfort knowing that 4 did not suffer and are watching the calf closely. That calf and another were born about a week apart and it stays close to the other calf’s mother, always with the herd. We are praying for the best and have nutritional supplement for it if the other mother does not let it nurse. 

This is 4’s bio from the “Main Herd” tab. She was a gentle animal and a good mother. She will be missed.

“4 is our flower child. She joined the farm with the first 5 animals in 2013 but was lowest in the pecking order. She found her own happiness, not always with the herd. If the herd was together in one part of the field she was often grazing in another section.  After she had her first calf she began spending more time with the herd, we assume to protect her calves. She is a good mother. She has the most beautiful set of horns, almost perfectly oval."

Because of the nature of her death, we laid her to rest. 

It is hard to care for an animal for ten years and then lose her. This quote gives us reassurance.

“There need be no lasting sorrow for the death of any of Nature's creations, because for every death there is always born a corresponding life.” - John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir, ed. by Linnie Marsh Wolfe, (1938), pg. 168.

Cooler temperatures arrived after a strong storm blew through two days ago. Some believe that changes in barometric pressure may lead to labor. Yesterday evening we discovered that 10 had a calf, so perhaps the storm helped. The calf and mother appear to be doing well. We are thankful that the heat is behind us as it is hard on the young animals. We will keep a close eye on the new calf and find pleasure and peacefulness watching the herd.

“Being able to smell the fresh air and disconnect from the news and your phone—there’s nothing like it.”- Jason Ward

Our weather forecast is showing very warm weather in the next week. There is shade in the field, but we find that the older animals stay in the sun in the wallows. It makes it hard on the young calves. We are setting up a sprinkler near the wallows and will run it to try to provide some relief. We will be checking the water trough often. We hope the heat wave doesn't last too long.

A few weeks ago, we were ready to let the herd move to the summer field when we realized one of the calves was missing. Then the newest mother, a first-time mother, raced to the top of the hill, grunted, and raced back. She did this several times. We decided to look for the calf and found it curled up in the shade, sound asleep. The sound of the UTV awakened it and it looked up sleepily, then ran for its mother. We don't think it ever heard her grunt because she was too far away. A more experienced mother would have run to the calf and nudged it. Like all first-time mothers, she has a lot to learn but it is fortunate that 4 calved before her. The two cows are spending lots of time together watching their calves.

We picked up the meat from our first harvest today and are contacting those who pre-ordered. Please see the "Meat Information" tab for remaining availability. Thank you to everyone who participated in this harvest!

Our first cutting of hay is behind us. It was better than last year and we are sure that is due to the rain. We hope that continues. We were able to stack the bales and cover them before the rain fell this morning. Our hay fields are small so we will be supplementing it with hay that we purchase.

During the full moon, the Flower Moon, one of our heifers had a calf. Both mother and calf are doing well and we are delighted to have two calves that are close in age. Calves are so much fun to watch when they run and play together.

Yesterday morning, we discovered that 4 had a calf. Mother and calf are doing well. The calf is sporting white feet and the typical pumpkin-colored fur. What a privilege it is to be able to live near the herd and watch nature unfold.

“If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” – Vincent van Gogh

We had more rain last night and it sure is nice to see the fields growing. Recent years have resulted in June being a dry month so we will take it while we can. While the herd was in the summer field, we did maintenance on a gate and fencing. The bison had rubbed against interior fencing and torn it from the posts. We found new screws to use and believe that they will be an improvement. They also pushed against the gate leading to the summer field and damaged the post, so we repaired that.

Yesterday, we spread diatomaceous earth and sprayed Beauveria bassiana in the wallows in the main field. Both will help with fly control and other pests. Diatomaceous earth is a white powder, similar to confectioner’s sugar. When the bison moved back to the field, they quickly rolled in it. If you drive by and see white bison, that is why.

People often ask when calves will arrive. Bison have a 270-day gestation period, just like humans. Four of our cows could deliver now. Ignoring our first year of calving, which was unusual, we’ve had calves as early as April 29th and as late as September 23rd. It is hard to know when they are pregnant. We monitor their disposition and a few body characteristics for indications that they may be ready to calve. They bear their young on their own, without any interference from us. 

We feel so fortunate to have this experience and still find incredible enjoyment watching the animals.

We have had plenty of rain over the last few weeks and we are thankful for it. The pastures and hay fields are growing well. We will have our first harvest soon and the herd has moved to the summer field. They always seem very content there. There is less noise from traffic and that may be part of it. We notice lots of folks stopping on the road to watch the herd. It makes us feel good to know that others appreciate the animals too.

With the warmer temperatures, we decided to let the herd move to the summer field so that we could do maintenance in the main field. This happened on the day of the solar eclipse, about the time the sun reached 94% coverage here. We are happy to report that all went well, and we did not observe any differences in animal behavior. Even with 94% coverage, there was a lot of light, much like a gloomy day. 

The herd always enjoys the summer field. A cedar tree fell during the winter, and it will be a nice scratching post. Almost all of the adult bison are starting to shed, and we find clumps of hair when we walk around our property. We collect what we can to give to visitors and hope that the birds and other creatures use the rest. 

The water trough in the summer field was in good shape and we took the opportunity to start parasite treatment by adding Safeguard to the water. There is not a lot of grass in the field, so we plan to drop a bale there today to get us through the next few rainy days. Then we will let the herd move back to the main field.

In the main field, we replaced the water trough so that we could clean the old one and check it for holes. We discovered a number of frogs living underneath it and some of them moved back in under the new trough. If the old trough leaks too much, we will add it to our raised garden beds. We are also using this time to move manure and decomposing hay from around the feeders. We believe doing this significantly reduces flies and parasites. We let that mixture sit for a year or so and use it in our vegetable garden. It really helps the garden grow. We will be checking the feeding platforms to see what repairs are needed.

The weather today should be beautiful, and we look forward to working outside.

“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” – Frank Lloyd Wright

The fields are green and growing. That means the herd is often grazing in the back part of the field. It is a happy sight. During the winter, they spend most of their time by the hay platforms but now we must look for them. Despite the gloomy days, we appreciate the rainfall that may help avoid a drought this year. We did not have much snow, so we are starting off at a deficit.

Cochise is shedding big clumps of his winter coat now and 83’s daughter is too. Those two bison are always the first to shed. Snow is in the forecast, so cold weather isn’t over yet.

Today is the first day of Spring but we are missing the warmth of the last few weeks. Despite the cold temperatures, signs of spring are everywhere. Cochise and 83’s daughter have started to shed. They always seem to be the first to do so. We are finding bunches of fur around the field and collecting it to share with visitors. The fields are green, and the herd is grazing throughout the pasture, rather than staying near the feeding platforms. Sandhill cranes and other birds are returning to the area. Daffodils bloomed early and our peonies are starting to peek through the mulch. 

We have enjoyed the quiet times of winter but now there is much that we want to do. We are collecting broken pallets that we use under the hay bales, repairing what we can and disposing of the rest. The water trough got a good scrubbing a few days ago. We check fencing when we walk, adding more staples to keep it secure to the posts. When we are busy, the herd watches what we do, always curious about our activities.

We wish you the best in your own preparations for the changing seasons.

"Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love." —Sitting Bull

We have had some interesting times lately. A nearby school had been studying bison and asked us to present information to the second graders. It was a fun event as the students pretended to be our herd. The students sent wonderful thank-you notes that we are enjoying.

A group of individuals who plan to start a bison herd visited us. We were happy to show them our setup and share what we have learned over the last ten years. It will be great to see more bison in this area!

Today it feels like spring and temperatures are almost 30 degrees higher than normal. We wish that the warm temperatures would stay but we know that winter is not over yet.

This recipe is very easy and quite tasty.

·         2 pounds bison stew meat

·         2 cans cream of mushroom soup

·         1 large can of mushrooms, drained

·         1 cup chopped onion

·         ½ cup water

·         2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

·         Salt and pepper to taste

·         White wine or cooking sherry to taste

·         8 ounces cream cheese, softened

Combine everything, except for the cream cheese, in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours. Stir in cream cheese just before serving. Serve over noodles or rice.

Be careful what you wish for. We were wishing that the ground would freeze. We weren’t planning on multiple days of below freezing temperatures with wind chills of negative twenty degrees. Fortunately, the bison tolerate it well and we are keeping them supplied with plenty of hay. Our biggest challenge has been the water trough. We have read that bison will do fine with fresh snow, but we always like to offer open water to them. Our trough is heated and has handled the lower portion of the almost 300-gallon trough, but the wind chill freezes the top. We crack the ice and pull it out, and the bison help by stepping in it with a hoof or two, but it freezes over again. Today we have reached positive double-digit temperatures, with sunshine, and it is a welcome relief. We hope that you are safe and warm wherever you may be.

Our winter weather has been very mild, with lots of rain and gloomy days. That has been changing this week and we finally have a few inches of snow on the ground to brighten the world. Tomorrow the weather forecasters are predicting the start of a blizzard and poor weather may prevail through Saturday, followed by bitter cold. We are preparing for that today by putting hay on both platforms and removing the calf trough which we are unable to heat. Fortunately, the calves are tall enough to reach the large trough.

Bison have the second thickest coat in the animal kingdom after the Musk Ox and their winter fur has 8,000 hairs per square inch. They do not like to be contained and do not go in a barn. All of our animals grew thick coats and normally shelter in the southwest corner of our field, where there is an area between two hills. They have not had any problems in the past with storms like this, but we don’t take it for granted and will be counting heads after the storm to be sure.

Stay safe in whatever weather is headed your way!

We tried this soup recipe tonight and enjoyed it. We hope that you do too.

Bison, Bean and Corn Soup

·         1 tablespoon olive oil

·         1 pound ground bison

·         1 teaspoon minced garlic

·         1 medium onion, diced

·         1-2 jalapenos, diced (optional)

·         1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

·         3 15-ounce cans black beans

·         1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained

·         2 cubes of chicken bouillon

·         1 11-ounce can shoepeg corn

·         1 ½ teaspoon cumin

·         1 teaspoon chili powder

·         ½ teaspoon black pepper

·         Lime juice

Boil one cup of water and add bouillon cubes. Let sit until dissolved. Brown ground bison in olive oil, adding onion, jalapenos, and garlic near the end of the cooking time until softened. Drain two cans of black beans and mash in the bottom of the crock pot. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the lime juice. Cook for 5-6 hours on low. Add a ½ teaspoon splash of lime juice to the top of each bowl before serving.

The weather has been unusually warm and will be even warmer over the next week. It is certainly unexpected to see the bison grazing the field in December. They always choose fresh grass over hay. We are not sure that they are finding much but perhaps it will stretch our hay a little bit longer in the spring.

We’ll be having traditional holiday foods this weekend, so tonight we are mixing up some bison tacos, paired with refried black beans and salad. We hope that you enjoy your holidays!

Bison Tacos

·         1 pound ground bison

·         Taco seasoning

o   1 tablespoon chili powder

o   ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

o   ¼ teaspoon onion powder

o   ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

o   ¼ teaspoon oregano

o   ½ teaspoon paprika

o   1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

o   1 teaspoon salt

o   1 teaspoon black pepper

o   ¼ teaspoon cayenne powder (more or less to suit your taste)

Brown ground bison until no pink remains. Add ½ cup water and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil and mix thoroughly. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes.

Refried Black Beans

·         2 tablespoons olive oil

·         3 garlic cloves, minced

·         1 medium onion, diced

·         1 teaspoon ground cumin

·         1 teaspoon chili powder

·         2 14-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed

·         ½ cup water

·         1 tablespoon lime juice

·         ½ teaspoon salt

Sauté the onions in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic, cumin and chili powder and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Add the beans and water and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add more water if needed to prevent scorching. Turn off the heat and mash. Stir in lime juice and salt.

Serve both with a fresh tossed salad.

The herd really enjoys the hay that we purchased from two new providers. We also have some older bales that we have stored under tarps. The herd wasn’t crazy about those when we fed them earlier this year, but it was during the summer drought when fresh grass was what they really wanted. We decided that we should switch to feeding those bales to be sure they would eat them before the winter road conditions prevent a hay delivery. Bison can be picky eaters. They don’t like stemmy alfalfa and can resist eating some hay. Some farmers say, “When they get hungry enough, they will eat it.” What we have found is that when they don’t like it, they push it off the feeders and waste it, then become unsettled. This week has been a “taste testing” for the herd. With a bale from a new provider and an older bale, the clear winner is the new provider’s hay, but they do eventually eat the older hay. We’ve switched to feeding two bales of the older hay and will keep doing that until it is gone. We check our inventory of hay regularly, comparing it to prior years, to be sure that we can feed the herd through the winter. A well-fed herd minimizes stress and that is one of our goals.

We have settled into a new routine for the fall. Thanks to the unusually warm weather, the herd still attempts to graze but we place two round bales of hay on the feeding platforms every three to four days. We also feed a mineral mix often but recently their interest in that seems to have waned. All five calves are thriving, and we are grateful for the health of the entire herd. The one cow that did not calve looks quite large now, but we can never tell if they are pregnant or not. They all look heavier with winter coats. We have not had any calves after October since 2014.

Mornings begin and the day ends with trips to the 300-gallon water trough to top it off. We still have a small calf trough in the field too and plan to remove it when freezing weather arrives. The two youngest calves can reach the larger trough with a little effort, and we will put dirt on one side of the trough to give them better access until they grow taller. In a few weeks, we will place the water heater in the large trough.

We try to count to 20 each time that we check on the herd, but they can be sneaky, hiding behind each other and the feeding platforms. The good news is that they stay together…. another sign of healthy animals.

We feel blessed to have had this experience.

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." –John Muir

We went out first thing to put in hay for the herd. The fields are a sloppy mess right now, thanks to continued rainfall, and we feel fortunate to have a tractor that can handle it. The animals were happy to see the hay arrive and split up between the two feeding platforms and the hay that dropped on the way to the feeders. One bale was a little less tightly wrapped than the other and it left a small, periodic trail on the way to the platform. For safety reasons, we take the net-wrap or twine off the bales before entering the field. The animals like to rub against the recently placed bales and end up with "hay hats" on their horns, which we find amusing. It was a very peaceful way to start our day and it is gratifying to see the herd healthy and content. We love the smell of hay in the morning!

Ten years ago today, five bison arrived (Cochise, 11, 83, 10 and 4) and we began a new chapter in our lives. We are thankful to have settled in Barry County, Michigan, on property that enables us to raise the herd. We appreciate the advice of MSU conservation agents in planting the fields and PS Fencing who did a terrific job of enclosing them. We are especially grateful to AJ’s Bison for the bison that we purchased from them and for becoming our bison mentors. They answered countless questions over the years and became good friends.

We spend part of each day observing the herd and nature’s magnificence. We know that we are very fortunate and feel blessed to have had this experience.

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” ― Robert Brault

We tried this bison meatloaf recipe recently and enjoyed it. We hope that you do too. We have ground bison available for sale now.

Bison Meatloaf

Meatloaf Ingredients

• 1 pound ground bison

• ¼ cup breadcrumbs

• ½ cup bone broth

• 1 egg (beaten)

• ¼ cup grated onion

• 1 jalapeno, diced

• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese

• 3 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

• ¾ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon paprika

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• ⅛ rounded teaspoon ground sage

Glaze Ingredients

• ⅓ cup ketchup

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

• Note: the balsamic vinegar adds a tangy taste. If you don’t like the sound of that, replace it with yellow mustard.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Put ground bison in a large bowl and add all the remaining meatloaf ingredients. Work together to mix well.

3. Mix glaze ingredients in a separate dish.

4. Arrange parchment paper in a loaf pan, covering bottom and sides. Cut off any excess.

5. Spread two tablespoons of glaze on the bottom of a loaf pan and put the meat mixture on top of it, pressing out any air pockets. Spread the remaining glaze on top of the meatloaf.

6. Place the meatloaf in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

7. Let cool slightly and serve.

The Ken Burns documentary, "The American Buffalo," is playing on PBS now. We have watched part of it and recommend it. It is not a nature film, but rather the story of settling the west, and the tragic tale of what happened to bison and Native Americans. It documents a very sad period in American history.

We plan to continue working with Native Americans who want hides, heads, hooves and hearts for ceremonial purposes or traditional teaching. Please reach out to us if you are interested.

The leaves are falling, and it is a beautiful time of year. We’ve had rain for the last few days and that has been a welcome relief. It came too late to help with the hay fields, but it has taken care of the dusty conditions. Because of the lack of rainfall, we offered hay for most of the summer months and have continued to do so. We were fortunate to have worked with two new hay providers who sold quality hay to us that the herd enjoys. They can be picky eaters and, when they don’t like it, they move it off the feeding platforms and waste it. During the summer, we put one bale on at a time but this week we started offering a bale on both of the feeding platforms. This gives the animals that are less dominant a better opportunity to feed.

All the calves are doing well. The two youngest ones are very spunky and spend part of each day chasing each other around the field. Sitting on the bench, watching the herd amidst the falling leaves and beauty of the colors is a wonderful way to relax.  We hope that you find time to enjoy the beauty of the season too.

Tonight we enjoyed a really good dish made from bison round steak and we want to share it with you.

Saucy Bison Round Steak in the Crock Pot

• 2 pounds bison round steak, cut in cubes

• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• 2 tablespoons flour

Mix all in crock pot until the meat is thoroughly coated. Add:

• 1 can tomato soup

• 1/2 soup can of water

Cook on high for four hours. Serve over mashed potatoes. Simple and tasty!

Last night when we were checking on the herd, we noticed that 11 was starting to calve. We quickly left and checked on her just before sunset, but the calf had not been born. This morning the calf is standing with its mother and seems to be moving around well. We pray that will continue to be the case. The calf that was born one week ago is doing very well.

"My wish is to stay always like this, living quietly in a corner of nature." –Claude Monet

We discovered this morning that 83 had a calf, probably last night. The calf looks very good, as does 83, but we have learned to watch and wait. Usually after one week we feel comfortable that the calf will survive. Sometimes the birthing is hard on the calf, sometimes the weather is too warm, sometimes we just don't know what happens. The herd is very protective of calves as is the mother. We are giving them plenty of space and keeping our distance.

"Nature is loved by what is best in us." —Ralph Waldo Emerson

The meat from the third and final 2023 harvest is available now. We are in the process of reaching out to everyone who pre-ordered meat. You can check our "Meat Information" tab to see the cuts that are still available. We are taking orders now for the 2024 harvests. Thank you to everyone who participated in this harvest!

The drought did not do us any favors. We weren't expecting much from our second cutting of hay and that is what we got. It is good to have that behind us and we are thankful that we have been getting some rain lately. We also feel fortunate to have a couple of new hay providers and feel good about the quantity and quality of the hay that we have on hand now.

Yesterday, while showing the herd to visitors, we noticed that one of the cows showed signs of calving. We quickly left them alone and, a few hours later, found that a calf had been born. Mother and calf appear to be doing well.

“Animals are born who they are, accept it, and that is that. They live with greater peace than people do.”― Gregory Maguire

Last week, we completed our third and final harvest of the year. It is always an emotional time for us. We are thankful for the herd and the food that it provides for our family and others in the community.

We've had rain recently and it is such a relief! We have been feeding hay for most of the summer but the herd prefers fresh grass. The fields are finally starting to grow again. We plan to have a second cutting of hay but doubt that it will produce much. Some years are like that! The herd moved back to the main field earlier in the week and we plan to keep them there for awhile.

The meat from the second harvest is available now. We are in the process of reaching out to everyone who pre-ordered meat. Thank you to everyone who participated in this harvest!

On the first day of summer, we want to share our favorite bison burger recipe with you. 

Bison Burgers

• 1 pound ground bison

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Mix everything together and form into patties (we prefer 1/3 pound patties). Cook on the grill, low and slow. Do not cook past medium.

We have plenty of ground bison available now for your summer cookouts.

It continues to be very dry here. The forecast occasionally teases us with a chance of rain, but we don't get much precipitation. We are feeding hay, but the herd prefers grass. Focusing on the positive, the herd is healthy and content. They always seem to enjoy the summer field, perhaps because it is on a less traveled road. We are collecting more fur from the main field and now have over 14-gallon bags stuffed tight. Our second harvest is tomorrow, and a member of a nearby Native American tribe will be working with the head and hide from this animal that is sacred to their people. It makes us very happy to support her in this.

We started our day early in the summer field, spreading diatomaceous earth in the wallows and then spraying them with balEnce Fly Spray, a liquid suspension of a fungus that controls flies. It is approved by the EPA for organic programs. The combination seems to reduce the fly population. We have one cow that is especially bothered by face flies, and we try to do what we can to help her.

After that, we headed to the corral area and let the herd in. Cochise, a cow, and a three-year old bull were the first to enter. The three-year old bull walked over to another gate that leads to the interior of the corral, we swung the gate open, and it went in, happily eating fresh grass. The rest of the herd left the corral when the tractor started, and we led them to the gates at the other end of the main field that lead to the summer field. The herd ran through to the summer field, also in search of fresh grass, with the calves in the middle of the pack. We are always thankful when these transitions go smoothly.

All the animals are content, and the water troughs are full. We discovered that we have some fence and gate repairs to do near the gates to the summer field. That will be next on our list.

We went out to water early this morning and discovered that 94 had just calved. The calf looks healthy and spunky. We feel very fortunate to be able to see such wondrous sights.

"Stop and look out the window and see how beautiful the world is. It is there-enjoy it. Go out tonight and look up at the stars. They are the wonders of nature."- Dale Carnegie 

Drought. It is probably the situation that has been the biggest challenge for us over the years. We’re volunteer weather reporters for CoCoRaHS, the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, a community-based network of volunteers who measure precipitation. We have good records of rainfall. Total precipitation was looking good until mid-May.Then came the dry spell. At this point, our main field is toast. We are feeding hay, but the herd still attempts to graze. We don’t know what they can possibly find to eat. In a few weeks, we will have our second harvest and allow the herd to move to the summer field. That field won’t last long without rainfall.

We have learned to buy hay early, if we can, since our own hay fields don’t supply all the hay that we need. This year we contacted two hay farmers, new to us, in the spring and were fortunate to make arrangements for much of what we think that we will need through April 2024. We moved a number of bales from the farmer’s field closest to us and had hay delivered by the other farmer. One of our hay providers from last year has already contacted us to let us know that it is unlikely that he can sell to us this year and that he will probably need to reduce his cattle herd. We feel for everyone who is impacted by the drought and pray that the weather changes soon.

Thank you to everyone who supported the first harvest. The meat is ready for pickup. Please call us to arrange a convenient time to stop by.

We had our hay cut earlier than ever this year because seed heads had appeared on some grasses. We understand that the protein content drops quickly when that happens. The stems were getting long and and the bison don't seem to enjoy that when it dries. The production wasn't what we would have liked but hopefully we will get some rain soon and the fields will start to grow again. We will also spread manure on the fields as fertilizer. We have plenty of that!

We hope that you enjoy the beautiful weather this holiday weekend!

While the herd is in the summer field, we are taking care of tasks in the main field. The water troughs were cleaned, hoses used for the corral were removed, manure that accumulates around the feeding platforms is being moved out. We are also scanning the field for fur. Someone is interested in the fiber, so we are bagging it with mothballs until we are ready to send it. The herd still has a lot of fur to shed. We anticipate moving the herd back to the main field in a few days and then we will check the summer field for more fur. The weather has been beautiful, so it is a fun pastime.

The first harvest is complete. We are simply thankful...for the herd, for the animal that will provide meat for our family and the community, for living in this peaceful place and the ability to enjoy nature all around us.

In the next week, we will have our first harvest. The meat should be available at the end of May or early June. We have reached out to everyone who pre-ordered meat, by email if we had one, if not, by phone to confirm the orders. If you did not receive the email, please check your spam folder. If you have any questions, please call us. 

We started the day as normal, watering the herd and counting head in the morning. In the early afternoon, we discovered that 10 had a calf. We believe that the calf had just been born. Mother and calf are doing well. Bison are such beautiful, magnificent creatures.

"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous." - Aristotle

Our weather turned cool again and we had snow and sleet yesterday. This seems like a good recipe for a cool, spring day. Serve it with green beans and mashed potatoes for a meal of comfort food.

Mix together:

• 1 pound ground bison

• 1 egg

• ¼ cup breadcrumbs

• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• ½ teaspoon seasoned salt

• ½ teaspoon onion powder

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Form into six small patties and press flat. Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into a large skillet. Add ½ cup thinly sliced onion to the skillet, along with the patties, and fry until the patties are brown on both sides, about 4-6 minutes. Move patties to a plate and keep them warm.

Scrape the pan well and add another tablespoon of olive oil, mixing well with scrapings, onions and 2 tablespoons of flour.  Slowly add 1 cup of beef broth and 1 tablespoon of cooking sherry while stirring over low heat. Cook until low heat, stirring constantly, until it forms a thick gravy. Add patties, cover, and cook about 10-12 minutes until the patties are cooked through. Turn patties every couple of minutes and stir to prevent scorching.

Enjoy!

We have had beautiful spring weather recently. The grass in the pastures is growing and the herd prefers it over hay. They had trimmed the main field close to the ground and were anxious to try the summer field, so we let them move there. We can’t see the herd from our house and that always feels a little odd, but we check them twice a day to be sure that all is well. Large herds of deer have been moving through that area but that doesn’t seem to bother the herd. Warm weather brought out the bugs and we decided that it was a good time to treat the herd for parasites by adding panacur/safeguard to the water. While they are in the summer field, it gives us an opportunity to take care of field maintenance in the main field. The water trough was pressure washed and a new PVC pipe was run to it. The PVC pipe will house the extension cord that powers the trough heater in the winter. Our old cord gave out just before warm weather arrived. We are moving manure out of the field and will eventually use it in our family gardens. The feeding platform was repaired…again…boy are they tough on it. We also checked the swing and hang of the gates in the corral in preparation for our first harvest in mid-May. Someone is purchasing fur from us this year, so we are collecting it when we find it. Today we awakened to snow and will take a break from the field, but warm weather is returning soon and we will be back to work. We hope that you are enjoying spring!

We had snow again last night but signs are all around that spring is on the way. We are seeing red-winged blackbirds again and groups of robins in the yard. The sandhill cranes are migrating here with their distinctive sound. The bison have hay on the feeders but are attempting to graze when the snow melts. Our crocuses bloomed. We hope that you are enjoying seeing the change of seasons too.

We tried this instant pot recipe recently and thought that you might enjoy it.

Instant Pot Bison, Tomato and Macaroni

• 1 pound ground bison

• 1 chopped onion

• 3 cloves minced garlic

• 1 green pepper, chopped

• 1 jalapeno, chopped (optional)

• 2 cups bison bone broth

• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon pepper

• 2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked

• 30 ounces diced tomatoes

• 15 ounces tomato sauce

• Shredded cheddar cheese for topping

Preheat instant pot using sauté button. Add ground bison and cook until brown. Add onion and cook for two minutes, stirring well. Add minced garlic, green pepper and jalapeno. Cook for one minute, stirring well. Press cancel to turn off sauté. Pour in the bone broth and stir well, scraping bottom very carefully.

Add Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir well. Add macaroni, but do not stir. Simply press the macaroni onto the top of the rest. Pour diced tomatoes and tomato sauce over top of pasta, but do not stir.

Close instant pot and set for high pressure, 4 minutes. When the cooking time ends, do a quick release. After the pin drops, open the lid and stir well. Top with grated cheese.

It is a quiet time of year for us. The bison spend most of their time near the feeders which happen to be close to the road. We often see cars slow down to take a look at them. We check on the herd a couple of times a day, topping off their water and moving hay in as needed. We normally feed two large round bales every three days. We are thankful that the herd looks healthy and content. We hope that your new year is off to a good start too!

We’re used to snow, but when the weather forecast simply says “blizzard”, we pay attention. We put in two round bales of hay today and would normally feed again on the day of the blizzard. We’ll check between now and then and are likely to feed early.

We still had our small calf trough in the field and removed it today. We don’t have a way to heat it easily without bison interference. Fortunately, the calves are now tall enough to reach the main water trough. All the bison seem to prefer the calf trough and we wonder if it is because it is lower to the ground and like drinking from a stream or river.

Our gate locks are enclosed in Ziploc freezer bags to keep them from freezing shut. We started doing that years ago and it works well. The only thing left to do is tie a rope from the house to the field so that we can find it! Just kidding……

We have a small flock of layer hens, and we will top off their food and water before bad weather arrives. We added more bedding to the nesting boxes to keep the eggs from freezing. This is a new flock of black Australorps and they are laying well. There is plenty of wood on the porch so if we lose power we will rely on the woodstove and fireplace to keep us warm. We also have a portable generator.

We wish you a white Christmas, safe travels, and happy holidays!

It has been a good year for us, and we are feeling very thankful. The herd is healthy and strong, all six cows had calves, precipitation was plentiful, and we had many repeat customers. Now we enter the slower winter season.  Each day begins and ends by filling water and checking the hay in the feeders. We also count the herd. You would think that it would be easy to count 18 animals in a field, but we liken it to the video display at hockey games where you must guess where the puck is. The animals move, hide behind each other and the feeders….it takes a bit before we are satisfied that they are all there. We aren’t sure why we are so obsessed with counting, but we are.

We ended August with 158 round bales on hand which we believe will be more than enough to provide food until May. We stack the bales in pyramids of three, that are four or five deep, on pallets to prevent them from freezing to the ground. Then we cover them with heavy-duty tarps. Although the bales are net-wrapped, we find it easier to uncover the bales and remove the net-wrap when we have snow on everything. We try to get several years out of the tarps and must have had several old ones out there because we have lost three in the last week. They have split on top, lengthwise, and puddled around the bales. We replaced one earlier in the week and then yesterday we had strong winds all day and discovered two more were split. It would have been futile to fight the wind, so we left them until today. We’ll be making a trip to the store to purchase more and then will spend time covering bales before snow or rain arrives.

It is a peaceful time of year for us, and we wish anyone who may be reading this a feeling of peacefulness today too.

Nine years ago today, our original herd of five bison arrived – our bull, Cochise, and heifers 11, 83, 10 and 4. All five are still with us and are healthy, good-natured animals. After nine years, we continue to believe that bison are magnificent creatures, and we are so happy that we embarked on this venture. We did not really know a lot about farming or raising bison and we are fortunate that it has worked out as well as it has. We owe a debt of gratitude to our bison mentors who became good friends and tolerated many questions over the years.

We still look in awe when we find new calves in the field, enjoy seeing the animals interact with each other and we spend time just watching the herd. What a wonderful pastime!

Our sixth breeding cow calved last night or early this morning. Both cow and calf appear to be doing well. We are very pleased with our bull's work last year....all six cows had calves. We were preparing to move the herd back to the winter field..treating the wallows with diatomaceous earth and a natural fly remedy. We will wait a bit now to give the calf time to settle in.

Our second, and final, cutting of hay for 2022 is in. We are pleased with the production, thanks to recent rain, and feel that we have plenty of hay to feed the herd this winter. Thank you mother nature!

Thank you to everyone who pre-ordered meat. It is now available for pickup and we are reaching out to you by email, or phone if you have not provided an email address. The meat tab has been updated for remaining availability. We appreciate your business!

11 had been acting very irritable for the last few weeks and we suspected that she was close to calving. Early this week, she delivered a beautiful calf. The cooler weather is a welcome relief for us, having lost one of our calves to heat earlier this summer. The older animals don't seek the shade on hot, dry days and it is very hard on young calves.

The recent rain has been terrific and our fields are starting to grow again. We have already secured the hay that we will need for the winter but it will be nice to have a little extra from our next cutting. We hope that you are enjoying the beautiful weather!

The third and final 2022 harvest has taken place. We appreciate and are thankful for the resources provided by the herd. At this time, we believe that we have pre-sold many of the steak cuts. The following cuts are still available.

·        Ground, in one pound packages

·        Bone-in rib steaks

·        Flank steaks

·        Skirt steaks

·        Heart

·        Soup bones with meat

·        Dog bones

We are taking pre-orders for 2023 which will include the following additional cuts.

·        Porterhouse steaks

·        Sirloin steaks

·        Stew meat

·        Tenderloins

·        T-bone steaks

·        Liver

Thank you!

We were delighted to find a new calf in the field yesterday afternoon. The mother is 83. She is one of our larger cows and we worry about stress on her calves during delivery. Both mother and calf appear to be doing well and we are thankful for that.

It is quite dry here and we have started feeding hay. The bison still prefer to eat grass but there is not much of it. Hopefully, we will get some rain soon. The herd is in the summer field, and we are using the time to take care of chores in the main field - repairing fencing, spraying weeds, and cleaning the water trough thoroughly. Once the new calf is a little older, we will let them through the chute to the main field and then do the same type of work in the summer field.

Our second harvest has been completed. An individual purchased the live animal. It is our understanding that one or more families will share the meat.

The meat from our first harvest is now ready for pickup.  In the near future, we will be contacting those who pre-ordered meat to arrange a pickup date/time.  Thank you to everyone who purchased meat from the first harvest!

Our first hay cutting is in and we are happy to say that the overseeding and extra rain helped to produce a record number of bales.  We are one quarter of the way to covering our hay needs.  We spent yesterday moving the bales and covering them with tarps.

The downside is that prices are up for baling and for purchasing hay but that is understandable given fuel prices. We hope that the rain continues and gives us a good second cutting!

There was a newborn calf in the field this morning and both mother and calf appear to be doing well. What a wonderful sight! We would like to witness the full moon, lunar eclipse, blood moon, flower moon tonight but but it looks like we could have some rain around that time. We will take the rain! The hay fields look good but we could use a little more rain. We plan to cut the fields in the near future. We hope that you are enjoying the beauty of spring.

The herd moved to the summer field today.  The calf did very well traveling along with its mother.  The herd is delighted with the new grass!

While watering early this morning, we noticed small legs next to 94. She has a beautiful calf.  The calf is small but nursing well and 94 is taking good care of her.  Springtime brings wonderful sights!

In early May, we will harvest a young bull from our herd. This is always an emotional time for us. We have tremendous respect for bison but realize that our fields will only support a small herd. We treat the animals as humanely as possible throughout this period. 

Meat should be available in early June. We will be reaching out, by phone or email, to individuals who pre-ordered in the next week or so.

We are thankful for the herd and for those in our community who enjoy them too, whether it is by participating in the harvest with the purchase of meat or driving by to see them in the field.

We expect to have bison meat available in late May or early June from our first harvest and have been reviewing our prices. When we set prices, we take a close look at USDA monthly pricing information for grass-fed bison meat sold to consumers. The monthly report shows a range of prices for selected cuts, and we normally set our prices at the minimum of the range or below. We also look at online prices for bison meat and local grocery store prices, taking into consideration that those prices may not be for 100% grass-fed and finished bison meat. Any time that you see bison meat that has more than a nominal percentage of fat you can be fairly sure the animal was finished on grain. Banfield Bison meat is 100% grass-fed and finished.

We decided to increase the price of steaks and a few other cuts this year. We believe that our prices are very reasonable for the quality of the meat that we sell.

The Banfield Bison herd is normally very calm and quiet. Lately we have noticed a couple of spirited cows, who get excited when we approach the herd. To us, this is a sign that they may be calving soon. We do not have the desire or equipment to pregnancy check the cows, so we keep an eye on their actions and physical appearance to provide clues. Some people say that fullness on the left side is an indicator, but we pay more attention to bulging at the rear and full teats. We keep detailed calving records by cow and know that five of them have passed the normal gestation period of 270 days. We are saying prayers for a successful calving season and will be content with what nature provides.

We have not enjoyed the gloomy days and wet conditions, but we know that the rainfall will help our fields. A little sunshine and warmer temperatures would be a nice addition!

It is a beautiful, warm, sunny day today and we decided to do a little spring cleaning. The water trough was getting dirty, so we drained it, scrubbed it, and refilled it. The herd is always curious about these types of projects. Eventually we had to leave the field and return by tractor, positioning it between the herd and the trough. Despite that, the three-year-old bulls would ease their way around the tractor trying for a closer look. After cleaning, it takes quite a while to fill so we sat and watched the herd and a small flock of wild turkeys that found their way inside the fence. The job is completed, and we enjoyed our day in the sun.

Today when we put hay on the feeders, we noticed that our bull is beginning to shed his winter coat. The bulls normally shed before the females. To us this is a sure sign that winter will be over soon. We are also noticing more bluebirds in our yard. Earlier this week we ordered Black Australorp chicks to expand our flock and purchased seeds to plant in the garden after the last frost. Spring is on the way!

We have seven bulls in the field right now including Cochise, our breeder bull, and three born in 2019. The 2019 bulls enjoy sparring with each other in a playful manner. They also seem intrigued by deer that visit the south side of the field. Cochise is generally calm, but we believe that he is the one who keeps knocking our hay off the feeding platforms which results in some of the hay being wasted as bedding.  Recently we built up the sides of both feeding platforms in an attempt to prevent that.  The herd was very curious after the construction ended but kept a safe distance while it was happening. We keep a running tally of remaining hay and believe that we will have plenty for the winter. Hopefully, our construction project will ensure that is the case…. along with mother nature.

Our weather is turning very cold and that means that it is a great time for chili!  Here is a simple meal that is perfect for this time of year…. chili, corn bread and salad.

Chili

·       1 pound ground bison, browned OR 1 pound bison stew meat, seared

·       10 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies

·       10.75 ounce can tomato soup

·       14.5 ounce can dark kidney beans, drained

·       15 ounce can black beans, drained

·       ½ medium onion, chopped

·       1 green pepper, chopped

·       ½ teaspoon minced garlic

·       1 chipotle pepper, chopped

·       1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

·       2 tablespoons chili powder

·       1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

·       2 teaspoons ground cumin

·       ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

·       ½ teaspoon black pepper

·       ½ teaspoon salt

Combine in slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. We serve this with a fresh salad and corn bread.

Simple Cornbread Johnny Cake

Use an 8.5-ounce package of “Jiffy” Honey Corn Muffin Mix.  Follow directions for Johnny Cake but add ½ cup grated cheddar and 1 diced jalapeno to the mix.  When you remove it from the oven, spread a few tablespoons of butter over the hot cake. Store in refrigerator.

We’ve been reading the news of supply chain issues and barren grocery store shelves. We are fortunate in this part of Michigan that we are not experiencing significant food shortages. Also, the bison supply chain is open! We still have quantities of ground, stew meat, liver, heart, tongue, soup bones with meat, and femur bones with marrow. Give us a call or email us if you would like to purchase meat.

We have a few chickens that provide eggs for our own use. The small flock is older and stopped producing eggs for the last few weeks. They were experiencing a late fall molt. Last week they started laying again and we are happy about that.

Wishing you a happy January filled with your own good news!

Happy New Year! The weather forecast is for about six inches of snow later today and overnight. We decided to put in a bale today, although we put two bales in two days ago.  The herd should have plenty to eat for at least three more days.  It is wet and cooler and we can't wait for freezing temperatures to arrive and stay for the winter.

We've settled into the winter routine now.  We start out each day by checking the water level and making sure that the heater is still on in the trough. While there we count the herd and look at the hay that is left on the feeders. Then we take a walk around the fields, looking at the fencing and tracks left by other animals.

Normally we put in two 800-pound bales every three to four days. We time it based on the hay remaining on the feeders and the upcoming weather. It has been unseasonably warm, and the ground has not frozen. Right now, it can be challenging to get the tractor through the muddy field. Wintry weather is on the way, and we look forward to that. Once inside, we record the hay bales that were used and compare the remaining bale count to last year at this time.

Later in the day, we check the water level again and count the herd. It is nice to be outside breathing fresh air and enjoying the season.

Predictions for high winds yesterday had us securing the tarps on our hay bales earlier in the week. We store the hay outside, covered with tarps, and tie the tarps to pallets. Winds picked up around midnight and we started checking things early in the morning. We wanted to make sure that the tarps stayed in place and that trees didn’t fall on our fencing.  Our fences are placed about 30 feet from the tree line.  This reduced our grazing area but gives us plenty of room to navigate with equipment. It also means that falling trees don’t usually cause a lot of damage.  But you can never be too careful.

Gusts reached 65 miles per hour in this area.  The herd sheltered on the northwest side of our field and didn’t seem too bothered by it.  We didn’t have any trees fall on the fencing but by mid-afternoon one tarp was completely off a pyramidal stack of 15 bales.  The winds weren’t as severe as they had been in the morning, but it was cold and blowing snow.  It took two of us to cover the bales and secure the tarp. We were happy to go inside and warm up by the fire.

We've been very pleased with our fencing and gates, but one thing that we should have considered more carefully was gate clearance.  Our gates are hung very close to the ground.  This time of year we wish they were hung slightly higher.  Deep snow, frozen clods of manure, uneven ground all make it a little more challenging to swing the gates.  

The herd is enjoying hay this morning.  It is a cold, crisp day but unusually warm temperatures are on the way.  Parts of the field will be a muddy mess then.  It will be great to settle into consistently cold temperatures.

This time of year we wear hunter orange when walking near the perimeter of our property.  We usually greet the bison with a clicking sound so that they can identify us easily.  They are a calm herd and seldom move much when we approach.  That is not the case when we wear hunter orange.  This morning it happened again; animals that were not close to the herd trotted to gather together.  Something about the color bothers them.  Just another interesting thing that we notice when observing the animals.....

Knowing that our supply can’t keep up with a huge demand for meat, we have kept our advertising simple.  We have the sign out front, Google, and word of mouth. It has worked well for us. This year we have had a few out-of-towners visit and purchase meat. One couple from Chicago was staying in a nearby lake rental. This week we had two linemen who have been working in the area, one from Florida and one from Louisiana. We enjoy meeting new folks and showing them the herd. One of the linemen wants to purchase bison for his farm next year. We have also had some locals contact us because they plan to add bison to their land soon and wanted to see how we handle things.  It is great to know that more people are interested in raising bison.

It is a quiet time of year for us. The hay is covered, the heater is in the trough, and we simply make sure that the herd is healthy and that they have access to food and water. The bison spend more time around the feeders near the road which is a treat for people traveling by who want to see them.

This has been an unusual October.  There is still some fresh grass in the field and while we have put hay in both feeders, the herd grazes during the warmer part of the day.  More rain is predicted for this week and temperatures do not indicate a frost anytime soon.  We believe that our winter preparations are complete.  We had an issue this summer with our underground water line and were happy to have discovered and repaired it before the ground froze.  Fall colors are starting to appear.  Enjoy them!

The weather has been on the warm side with plenty of rain.  We are tired of mowing our lawn but realize that it means more grass is growing in the main field for the herd.  We are happy to see new grass growing in the other fields after our overseeding efforts.  All of our hay is onsite now and we are counting it and counting the fall/winter weeks that we will need to feed the herd.  We believe that we have plenty of winter feed.  The herd likes the location of the new feeding platform.  It is closer to the second platform that we will be using and we feel that it makes the herd feel more secure since they don't have to split up to eat at the same time.  Fall colors are appearing and we hope that everyone gets a chance to go out for a color tour!

Thanks to the thoughtfulness of a long-time friend, we have a new sign in front.  He crafted a metal bison image for us.  We think that it looks great!  You can see it if you drive by our house or on the "photos and videos" page of this website.  We get a lot of business from our simple, rustic sign and appreciate the gift.

It was very dry after our overseeding and fertilization.  We kept hoping for rain but now it has arrived and doesn't want to leave.  We've had over two inches in the last couple of days.  We had also spread seed around the lower feeder platform that we won't be using anymore.  Fingers are crossed that it did not wash away.

We've purchased all of our hay for winter feeding and will soon pick up the last few bales.  Hay prices this year are about 60% higher than last year due to the mid-summer drought.  We had an opportunity to buy a few rye bales at slightly lower prices (40% higher than last year).  The herd really seems to like the rye.

The herd is back in the main field and will stay there through next year.  

While the herd stayed in the summer field with the new calf, we took time to finish a new feeding platform.  We had been unsatisfied with the location of the lower feeder as the ground around it became too wet after rains.  It is also further from our main gate which meant tractor weight on a larger part of the pasture.  We build the new feeder closer to the main gate and upper feeder, on high ground.  It should be a much better location for winter feeding.  After it was completed, the herd came back to the main field.  The new calf did well moving from field to field and the herd is enjoying more fresh grass.

After the herd moved, we overseeded the summer pasture and both hay fields using the no-till drill that we rented from our local conservation group.  That went well and we are hoping for rain in the near future so that the seed will germinate and provide better pasture next year.

We thought that our calving season was over but were pleasantly surprised to find a newborn in the field today.  We are giving the cow and calf plenty of space and aren't entirely sure who calved but we suspect that it is our lead cow, 11.  Cow and calf appear to doing well and we are thankful that cooler weather has arrived.  We have planned to let the herd through to the main field this week so that we could overseed the summer field but that it on hold now.  The lead cow normally goes through near the front of the herd and we don't want to take a chance on the calf getting injured by the larger animals that follow.  We will wait a week or so.  The calf is precious and joins three others born this year.  Those three act like triplets now, almost always together.

Today the herd moved back to the summer field.  They are always anxious to get to greener grass.  We are hoping they will stay there about a month.  While they are there we plan to move the lower feeder from its current location.  It is in a low-lying spot and we'd like to have it on higher ground, closer to the gate.  That will make it easier to move hay into the field in the winter.  We are also planning to overseed most of the fields and pastures later this fall.  We will rent a no-till drill from the local conservation group to do the planting.  A no-till drill is a planter that allows for placement of seeds in the ground without having to disturb the topsoil beforehand. It is considered a best management practice because of its environmentally friendly nature.  We will be planting Midwestern grazer mix again, a combination of warm and cool weather grasses.  There is always something to keep us busy!

Powerful storms raced through here the night before last.  Fortunately, we did not have any damage to the fences but there are a couple of trees down and lots of limbs fell, outside the pasture.  There is a fair amount of standing water and the bison are enjoying it.  They look great after the rain washed them clean!

Bison meat is in!  Thank you to everyone who pre-ordered meat.  We are selling most of our steaks through pre-orders now so if you would like some please call or email us.  We are not sure of our next processing date but we expect it to be September of this year or May of 2022.  We appreciate your business!

The love fest in the field continues.  Cochise, our bull, is quite the romancer right now.  When we check on the herd, he is often growling and following closely behind a cow.  This is his way of wooing the women.  Many of the cows now show marks on their sides, indicating that he has been with them.  Despite the activity, the herd is calm and content.  We hope for a successful calving season next year.

We cut hay early this year but had little rain afterwards.  The hay seemed to have stopped growing.  We went ahead and had it cut a few days ago.  While we were disappointed with the results, every extra bale is helpful.  We are looking forward to a strong third cutting!  All is well with the herd.  Cochise, our bull, is definitely interested in our cows right now, especially 94.  This would mean April calves.  We are thankful for the health of the herd and good weather.

We are so thankful for the rain that has fallen over the last month, despite the mosquitos!  The grass in the fields is growing.  Yesterday the herd moved back to the main field

We have ground, patties, stew meat, soup bones with meat, liver, heart and tongue available now.  Just call us and let us know when you would like to stop by and pick up those cuts.

Earlier this week we dropped off a young bison for processing.  We expect to have most of our other normal cuts available in early August.  We are sold out of porterhouse, tenderloins and T-bones for this round.  If you would like to pre-order meat, please call us or send an email, first come first served.  

We appreciate your business!

We've had rain for the last couple of days, 2.42 inches over the last 24 hours and well over 3 inches in total.  That will put a big dent in the drought conditions.  This morning we found that 83 had delivered a new calf.  The calf looks healthy. Thank heavens for all of this!

Neither of us have ever wanted to eat liver but after our experience with tongue we decided to give it a try.  Here is what WebMD says about liver.

“Liver is one of the most nutritionally dense foods on the planet. It contains significant amounts of folate, iron, vitamin B, vitamin A, and copper. Eating a single serving of liver can help you meet your daily recommended amount of all of these vitamins and minerals, reducing your risk of nutrient deficiency.”

It is a rainy day today so we tried this Liver Pate recipe.  It is good!

Buffalo Liver Pate

Yield: approximately 4 cups

Ingredients

•                 ¼ pound butter

•                 2 large onions, sliced

•                 6 cloves garlic, minced

•                 1 jalapeno, sliced

•                 1 teaspoon kosher salt

•                 16 oz. grass-fed buffalo liver, cut in slices

•                 paprika, to taste

•                 mayonnaise, to taste

Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add onions, jalapeno and garlic. Season with salt and stir periodically for 7-10 minutes.

Move onion mixture to the outer part of the pan and add buffalo liver pieces to the center. Season with paprika, add a couple more tablespoons of butter and cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn the liver and cook for 5-7 minutes.  Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to do this in two batches.

Transfer the onion and liver mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth.  You may need to do this in batches too.  After it is well  blended, add a few tablespoons of mayonnaise and stir thoroughly so that it holds together.  Chill completely before serving on crackers or vegetables.  Top with a couple drops of hot sauce if desired.  Can be frozen.

We bought net-wrapped hay and moved it to the far side of our property a few weeks ago but hadn’t had time to move it where it needs to be for the winter.  A big rain event is headed our way so we have been busy the last day moving the hay and covering it with large tarps.  The rain prediction is for about 4 inches of rain over the next few days.  This will be close to bringing us out of drought conditions.  Hooray!  The hay is now under cover and we plan to relax, sit on the porch and enjoy the rain.

We bought net-wrapped hay and moved it to the far side of our property a few weeks ago but hadn’t had time to move it where it needs to be for the winter.  A big rain event is headed our way so we have been busy the last day moving the hay and covering it with large tarps.  The rain prediction is for about 4 inches of rain over the next few days.  This will be close to bringing us out of drought conditions.  Hooray!  The hay is now under cover and we plan to relax, sit on the porch and enjoy the rain.

We still have not received much rain and believe that hay will be in high demand.  If our fields produce a second cutting, we have purchased the rest of what we will need for the winter, although at higher prices than we would like.  We are putting hay in the field for the herd but they prefer to graze on the small amount of grass that is available.  We hope that the rain arrives soon!

The herd moved to the other field since fresh grass in the main field is hard to find.  We had hay in the main field but they ignored it.  We are praying for rain!  While they are in the other field we treated the main field for weeds.  We are also moving manure, from around the feeders, out of the field.  There always seems to be something to do!

 We’ve never eaten tongue before but family encouraged us to try it.  It is not a top seller for us and we had two in the freezer so we decided why not?  We found an instant pot recipe online. It was delicious…like a tender chuck roast without the fat. 

·        Bison tongue

·        1 onion, peeled, roughly chopped

·        1 carrot, peeled, roughly chopped

·        1 bay leaf

·        2 teaspoons pepper

·        2 tablespoons salt

Add everything to the instant pot (we used our strainer basket).  Then add enough water to have 1 inch above the meat and vegetables.  Turn the pressure cooker to manual, high pressure for 90 minutes.  Once the time expires, allow the instant pot to naturally depressurize for 20-30 minutes, then open the lid.  Remove the tongue, peel the skin and discard it, cutting the meat into slices.  Discard the bay leaves.  Save the vegetables and some of the liquid.  You can eat the meat and vegetables at that point or use it as shredded taco meat/vegetables using this taco seasoning.  Cook the meat, vegetables, saved liquid and seasoning by bringing it to a boil, then simmering for five minutes.

Taco seasoning (spicy):

·        1 tablespoon chili powder

·        ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

·        ¼ teaspoon onion powder

·        ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

·        ¼ teaspoon oregano

·        ½ teaspoon paprika

·        1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

·        1 teaspoon salt

·        1 teaspoon pepper

·        ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

We have meat!  Thank you to everyone who pre-ordered.  You bought almost all of our steaks!  We have plenty of ground meat available along with a few other cuts.  Please see the "Meat Information" tab for current availability.  We are taking pre-orders for the July processing now (meat available in August).  

Despite the lack of rain, our hay fields grew fairly well.  We saw rain in the forecast and decided to go ahead and have it cut.  We have tried to do it ourselves but we don't have good equipment for that job.  We were disappointed with the number of bales compared to last year but we were blessed with a lot of rain then.  Hopefully June will turn out to be a rainy month.

When we walked out to water this morning, we saw all of the bison seemed to be on alert and watching us carefully.  Then we noticed a new calf at the back of the herd.  Mother and calf appear to be doing very well.  Also, we got a little rain!  What a nice morning.......

Yesterday, while walking to the far field to water,  we noticed a deer in the main field.  It easily cleared the 6-foot-high fence on a flat approach.  Wow!  We discovered that the deer were not clearing the fence as easily on an uphill approach and had pulled the fence away from the posts.  We repaired that and today the bison moved back to the main field.  We believe that the deer will stay out now.

The grass is short in the far field and the bison wasted the hay that we dropped there.  The “bull” dozer pushed it down the hill, spreading it everywhere.  The herd does eat some of it when it is spread out like that but they prefer grass.  They lingered in the chute between the fields today, trying to eat as much as possible.  Hopefully we will get rain soon to help the grass grow.  We need rain!

Today we dropped off a young bull for processing.  We had separated him from the rest of the herd a few days ago and he waited calmly in the corral.  The rest of the herd moved to another field so that they would not see each other.  The herd instinct is strong and we want don’t want to stress them.  

The young bull went into the trailer fairly easily and also left the trailer easily.  It is always hard for us to take an animal for processing but we know that our fields can only support a certain number.  We thanked him and said goodbye. 

On April 29th we discovered a new calf in the field.  Mother and calf are doing well!  We are giving the herd plenty of space to settle in with the new one.

While the herd is in the summer field, we are taking advantage of the opportunity to work on the main field.  Yesterday we spot-sprayed weeds that are starting to appear again.  We had noticed our neighbors who have horses using a drag behind a tractor to spread manure, nature’s fertilizer, more evenly through the field.  Bison seem to avoid the grass growing from large manure piles so we thought using a drag in our own field was a great idea.  We tried it with the bison in the field a few weeks ago.  The good news is no animals or humans were injured.  We will never try that again.  Imagine a giant cat toy being pulled in front of a pride of lions.  It is the only time  that I remember being chased out of the field by the herd.

Anyway, we made our own drag of old fencing and weighted it down with metal.  Today we pulled it behind a 6-wheel and it worked fairly well.  Success!  We are also moving large amounts of manure that have been aging outside the field into our garden in preparation for planting next month.  Friends also plan to pick up a few trailer loads of manure for their garden.

It is a beautiful day to be outside enjoying nature!

It has been a good week for us.  Another bison farmer was interested in our heifer who is turning two next month.  She is a gentle, sweet animal and we were happy to know that she would be joining a herd with two of her half-sisters.  Those heifers moved there two years ago.  The herd is about the same size as ours. We separated her from the rest of the herd by using our corral area and a number of gates.  Once she was alone, we allowed the rest of the herd to move to the summer field.  That makes it less stressful on all of the animals.  The summer field has a fair amount of new grass and the herd was delighted to move there.  The heifer was very calm in the corral overnight, where she also had lots of grass.  The next day we loaded her in the trailer and moved her to her new home.  The farmer kept her in a corral for a bit, where his herd could meet her through the fence.  After they met, he let her out and she was grazing with the new herd by that evening.  She will have a good life there.

The weather has been warm and we got some much-needed rain yesterday.  Goodbye to winter weather?  We can never be sure in Michigan but the herd is ready for spring temperatures.  We are still putting hay in the field but they prefer grass and now spend most of the time grazing.  We are hoping for a wet spring again this year as the spring rains in 2020 certainly helped the hay fields.  Several cows are looking very large and we hope to have a few calves in the next month or so.  Almost all of the animals are starting to shed their winter coats.  They look very scruffy this time of year!

It is a very windy day today.  Spring must be blowing in for its arrival this weekend.  We are seeing other signs of spring too…warmer weather, bird song in the air, fields greening up and the bison are starting to shed their winter coats.  The bulls usually shed their coats first but we have at least one female who is shedding at about the same pace as the males.  She did not calve last year and we wonder if this could be an indication that she will calve early in the year.

We spent yesterday cleaning up a bit.  We moved tarps that were not being used and were finally clear of snow.  We try to use them as many years as possible.  Hay mixed with manure was deep around the upper feeder so we moved much of that away to make it easier for the tractor to maneuver when putting hay on the feeders.  We also started our spring parasite treatment by adding Panacur to the water for the entire herd and darting one cow with Ivermectin.

Meat sales have been strong and we are out of almost all cuts now.  We should have cuts available again in early June.  Enjoy the spring!

A good day is when you go out to the water tank in -12 degree weather and steam is rising from the water.  That happened five days ago.  Today we were not so lucky.  The temperature was 9 degrees and a thin layer of ice covered the water.  The herd will often break through that on their own but we helped them out and then checked the electricity to the spigot.  For some reason the GFCI tripped.  We reset it and it seems to be fine.  It is now mid-morning and the heater that is in the base of the tank has changed the ice to slurry.  The sun is shining brightly and overnight temperatures are predicted to be above freezing for the first time in weeks.  The morning events are another good reminder of why we check the herd, water and food supply at least twice a day.  We plan to enjoy the sunshine today!

Our winter has been a mild one so far with little snow and fairly warm temperatures.  That changed yesterday when 3-4 inches of snow fell with a couple more on the way today.  Temperatures will be much colder over the next week.  Knowing the storm was on the way we put a large bale of hay in early yesterday so that the herd would have plenty of food.  They had not made much progress on the new bale and we were concerned that it may have been too difficult for them to get into it.  Our hay is net-wrapped  and stored under tarps outside but sometimes the exterior of the bales still gets damp and freezes.  We took a crowbar to it this morning and loosened it up for them.  They are having a peaceful morning and were eating at the other feeder.  The precipitation and winds never seem to stress them much.  Watching them reduces our stress too.  We made bison soup using soup bones and bone broth yesterday and plan to enjoy the beauty of the storm from inside.

The winter is generally a peaceful, quiet time for the herd.  They spend most of their time in the front part of the main field near the hay and water.  We have two feeding platforms for hay so that the less dominant animals have more opportunity to eat.  We put one or two large round bales in every three to four days, varying depending on the weather and ground conditions.  Recently we took advantage of unusually warm temperatures to drain and clean our water stock tank.  There is a submersible heater in the tank to keep the water from freezing. 

We walk around the perimeter of the field each day monitoring the health and condition of the herd.  The exercise is good for us and nature has a way of reducing the stress and concerns of the world outside of our farm.  We hope that you are able to find similar enjoyment!

We modified a recipe for the ingredients that we have on hand (aren’t we all doing a lot of that lately?) and came up with a new recipe for bison stew meat.  It has a bit of a sweet taste thanks to dried cranberries.  We hope that you enjoy it!

·        ¼ cup all-purpose flour

·        1 pound bison stew meat

·        3 tablespoons canola oil

·        16 ounces of bison bone broth

·        1 cup chicken bouillon

·        ½ cup dried cranberries

·        ¼ cup chopped onion

·        ¼ cup red wine

·        1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

·        ½ teaspoon minced garlic

·        ½ tablespoon sugar

·        ½ teaspoon salt

·        ½ teaspoon black pepper

·        1 cup chopped carrots

·        ½ cup chopped celery

·        4 ounces egg noodles (uncooked)

Put flour in a resealable plastic bag.  Add stew meat and shake to coat all pieces.  Put oil in a Dutch oven with medium heat and brown stew meat.  Add broth, bouillon, cranberries, onion, wine, worcestershire sauce, garlic and all spices. Stir well, scraping bottom of pan thoroughly, then bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for an hour, stirring frequently.  Add celery and carrots and cook until meat and vegetables are soft, around 45 minutes.  Add uncooked noodles and cook until the noodles are soft, stirring frequently.

It began innocently enough; 97 was showing signs of parasites and needed to be darted with ivermectin.  She had struggled over the winter with parasites and lost weight.  The larger animals ran her away from the food and she did not regain weight despite our efforts to give her extra food when the herd was not watching. 

The herd had been very relaxed all day and we were waiting for them to stand so that we could dart 97.  In the late afternoon she got up and began moving to the back field.  One of us followed her there and the other stayed with the rest of the herd.  A larger cow started to become agitated and raced to the back with 97.  Although 97 moved around, the larger cow ran after her and eventually charged her from the rear, running her into the fence, then jumped on top of her kicking.  We were outside the fence yelling at the other cow to leave.  She did but then she jumped her a second time.  97 was gravely injured and unable to stand.  The rest of the herd arrived and the bull and another cow came to 97’s rescue.  They attempted to get her up by lifting her with their heads.  It became clear to us that 97 would not survive and it would be most humane to put her down.  We were also concerned that the bull’s attempts to help her up, while she was against the fence, might weaken it and the herd would get out.  We positioned a tractor between 97 and the herd and put her down.  When we removed her from the field the entire herd followed with the bull being the last to leave her.  It was a very sad day.  Due to her health struggles and the conditions of her death we did not use the meat.  Rest in peace 97.

________________

Her write-up: 97 is probably lowest on the pecking order of all of the cows. She and 94 joined the herd two years after the first five animals. Her first calf did not thrive and passed away during a cold spell at 6 months of age. 97 seemed to mourn her, carefully watching us remove the body from the field, but never charging us. She was the first to calve in 2019 and was extremely protective of her young one during the first few weeks, keeping the rest of the herd away from it. That calf is thriving. 97 is a gentle animal and tolerates bullying by the higher-ranking cows. We normally put two 800-pound bales in the field one after another. She is very intelligent and, while the other animals go to the first bale, she waits for the second and dines alone for a bit. 

We have had a terrific response to this year's processing.  Thank you to everyone who has purchased meat from us!  You can check our "Meat Information" page to see what we have available.  It always surprises us that we don't sell more of the lesser-priced cuts.  Here are a couple of simple recipes to consider for bones and ground.

Instant Pot Bone Broth- Bone broth is rich in minerals and nutrients.  If you have an Instant Pot it is a breeze to make it.  

• 8 bison bones, cut in 2 inch lengths

• 2 medium carrots, washed and cut in half

• 3 celery ribs, washed and cut in half

• 1 onion, quartered with skin on

• 6 cloves minced garlic

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 teaspoon pepper

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon sage

• 1 teaspoon parsley

• 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• Water to cover

Place everything in a strainer basket inside the Instant Pot.  Add water to cover bones and vegetables.  Lock lid, select manual setting and set time for 120 minutes.  When time is up allow pressure to release naturally for 10 to 20 minutes.  Release remaining pressure.  Pull out strainer and discard all of the solids.  This freezes very well.  You can drink it as a broth or use it as a base for soups and stews.  

We like spicy food.  Alter the following recipe to suit your own preferred level of spice.

Spicy Bison Chili

• 1 pound ground bison

• 15 ounce can tomatoes

• 15 ounce can black beans

• 1 can tomato soup

• 15 ounce can dark kidney beans

• 1/2 medium onion, chopped

• 1 jalapeno chopped (optional)

• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

• 2 tablespoons chili powder

• 2 teaspoons cumin

• Chipotle pepper to taste (I use 2-3 peppers from canned)

• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

• Salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground bison, sprinkling with a little of the cumin and cayenne pepper while cooking.  You may want to add a little olive oil if it becomes too dry.  You probably won't need to drain it as our meat is very lean!  Mix together the meat and all the rest in a crock pot.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

We picked up meat today.  Please call ahead (269-721-3803) and make arrangements to come by and purchase it.  This will be the only processing until May 2021 and quantities of some cuts are very limited.  We look forward to seeing you!

We expect to have bison meat for sale within a week and have been preparing our new price list.  When we set prices, we take a close look at USDA monthly pricing information for grass-fed bison meat sold to consumers.  The monthly report shows a range of prices for selected cuts and we set our prices at the minimum of the range or below.  We also look at online prices for bison meat and local grocery store prices, but take into consideration that those prices may not be for grass-fed bison meat.  Any time that you see bison meat that has 10% fat you can be fairly sure the animal was finished on grain, and is not 100% grass-fed.  There is nothing wrong with that but it is not a fair comparison to Banfield Bison meat which is 100% grass-fed. We decided to increase the price of selected cuts this year, to be closer to USDA market prices.  We believe that our prices are reasonable for the quality of the meat that we sell and hope that you agree.

Our third cutting of hay is complete and we are pleased.  We did not get a lot of bales but enough to push us over our winter target.  There isn't much grass in the main field so we are supplementing with hay now.  We also supplement with a mineral mix that includes selenium, an important nutrient for overall health.  The herd really likes the mineral mix.  The problem is that the young bulls, and Cochise, like to play with the mineral feeder when they are bored.  We would often find that they had moved it around to another place in the field.  Earlier this year we started strapping the feeder to the fence posts and this has helped.  We recently changed out the feeder to a thick plastic and it needed a little work to keep it secure.  It seems to be staying in place now.  Our water trough is enclosed in a wooden structure with posts that are buried in the ground.  One of the animals removed a piece of the structure this week and we repaired that quickly.  Making sure that the herd always has a clean supply of water is a top priority.  We believe that we are set for winter now, other than covering some of the newer hay bales with tarps.  The hay is wrapped with netting that helps shed precipitation but the tarps make it easier to access the bales when there is a lot of snow on the ground.  Cochise's winter coat seems to have come in early this year and we see that as another indicator that it could be a hard winter.

We have been fortunate to receive a significant amount of rain over the last few weeks.  August was a very dry month and our pastures suffered.  They are greening up again now and we are hoping that, with a little warm weather, we could get a third cutting of hay.  This time of year we are counting bales to make sure that we have plenty of hay to get through the winter.  Our fields produced nicely for the first two cuttings and we bought some from a neighbor.  We'd like a few more bales before we feel comfortable.  Our fingers are crossed that it will come from our fields. 

We wish that we could keep all the animals that are raised on the farm but we need to ensure plenty of pasture for the main herd.  We will be moving a 2 1/2 year old bull off the farm in the near future.  The main herd has been moved to the summer pasture until he leaves.  We have tremendous respect for bison and treat them as humanely as possible.

The rut is on!  This is the time of year when Cochise, our breeding bull, courts the cows in his mating ritual.  He has a very distinct growling sound, similar to the lion at the beginning of the MGM movies.  We often see him following a cow in circles around the hay feeder.  Bison bulls mate with more than one female, but females will only mate with one bull.  Cochise’s female companion varies by the day and he keeps the rest of the herd away with his growling noise and by charging them.  We hope that this means that we will see a number of new calves next spring.  Bison have a 9 month gestation period so check back in May!

Our second cutting of hay is in and we are pleased.  Despite the lack of rain the smaller field was very productive.  The larger field was not as strong but the combination of both cuttings and what we have purchased puts us close to our target for winter feed and we are hopeful that we might get a third cutting.  We still need more rain to make that happen and to keep the fields supplying food this summer.  The summer grazing field was looking sparse so we opened the gates and let the herd move back to the main field.  94 immediately headed to the site where her calf died.  After smelling the area for a bit she moved back with the herd to graze.  Cooler weather should arrive today and that will be a pleasant change.

We had a stretch of continuous days in excess of 90 degrees.  Water was checked and topped off three times a day and we even set up a bison sprinkler.  The larger animals were content to stay in the sun and that meant the calves stayed with them.  The three older calves tolerated it well but we discovered the newborn struggling one evening.  The mother was very protective and would not allow us close enough to try and cool it with buckets of water.  Rain and cooler temperatures were expected that evening but did not arrive in time.  The calf passed away that night.  It had been nursing well and was very active so we believe the heat was the cause of death.  Mother, #94, was distressed so we gave her time with the calf.  Once she began moving with the herd we allowed them to move to another field.  We buried the little one after that.  We still find #94 looking through the chute to the other field, presumably thinking of her little one.  A brief life...so sad.

We watered the bison early this morning and found 94 was lounging near the lower feeder.  The rest of the herd was at the upper feeder.  She had been doing that recently, either wandering off from the rest of the herd or staying behind when they moved on.  When we checked on the herd again mid-day she had a newborn calf with her.  The calf appears to be healthy and she is keeping it away from the herd for now.  She had been a tough love mother in the past but seems to be taking very good care of this young one.  It was a full moon today.  Perhaps the folklore of full moons and births is true.

It has been awhile since we posted an update.  Spring flew by and now summer is officially here.  Our first cutting of hay was finished in early June.  We have tried to be frugal in purchasing equipment which means that ours is older and cutting takes longer.  We were pleased that the nutrients that we applied, combined with plenty of spring rain, resulted in better than normal hay production.  Unfortunately, our equipment couldn’t handle it and we had a major breakdown in the larger field.  A friend with much better equipment finished that cutting for us and we have decided that it is better to use his services in the future.  We plan to rake it but he will cut and bale.  The reality is that small producers like us can’t afford the equipment or maintenance to handle the job.

 We applied more nutrients to the hay fields after the first cutting and had a little bit of rain.  Then it became very dry.  Last night we finally got a good soaking and we see a possibility of more rain in the forecast for the next week.  We hope that we continue to get periodic soakings.  The animals look healthy and content.

We checked on the bison this morning and discovered that #11 also has a calf.  It looks very healthy.  The fields are growing nicely thanks to the nutrients, rain and warm weather.  Focusing on nature is very restful. (Note: We originally thought that 83 was the mother.  We give the mothers plenty of space shortly after the calves are born so we sometimes can't tell from a distance to which mother the calf belongs.)

It has been a very rainy couple of days.  We knew that it was unlikely that the bison needed water tonight but we like to check on them morning and evening.  They are in the summer pasture and we can’t see that field from our home so it makes it even more important to keep an eye on them.  We stopped by tonight, no water was needed, but we discovered that #4 had a calf.  She must have given birth within the last hour or so.  The calf was nursing and that is always a good sign.  We hope that it continues to be healthy.  It is always fun when a few calves are around the same age.  They have a great time running around together.  Calves are precious! (Note:  we originally thought the mother was #11, but realized when we were able to get closer to the herd that it is #4).

 We’ve been watching 94 closely.  She was always a slender animal but this spring she is quite large.  We thought that she might have calved by now but no such luck.  I even checked to see if bison twins are possible (it happens, but not often).  Now I am wondering if it is a combination of pregnancy and that she has matured into a larger size cow, similar to 4 and 10.  We’ll keep you posted and let you know if a little one appears soon.

Today we treated the main pasture with nutrients.  Rain is forecasted for later this week and that will help the ground absorb it.  We decided to treat this field one time.  The hay fields will be treated again after the first cutting.  After much pounding of the earth from bison hooves we are seeing lots of rocks in the main pasture.  Tomorrow we plan to pick rocks.  We’ll use them in a project around our home.  We also plan to move manure/hay buildup from around the feeders.  There are always plenty of jobs to do, especially after the animals move to a different field. 

Our fields are growing nicely and so is all the grass on the perimeter of the fences.  It was a beautiful day today and we enjoyed the sunshine and breeze while we made numerous laps mowing around the field.  The bison thought they might be moving to the summer pasture and followed us to that gate the first couple of times.  Later in the day we hunted for morel mushrooms and passed them again.  In the early evening we walked our dog toward the field and saw that 10 had just given birth.  This is what normally happens…surprise!...there is a calf in the field and the mother did not show any signs of labor prior to birth.  We usually can’t tell that the cows are pregnant.  The calf is nursing and walking well, which are very good signs.  A new photo of mother and baby appears at the end of the photos and videos page.  Ten is a good mother, usually calving every other year, with healthy offspring.  There are no guarantees but we pray this little one will do well.  

Now that it is almost mid-spring and we are seeing periods of warmth amid the chill; it is time to prepare the fields for hay and grazing.  The soil sample results recommended adding nitrogen, phosphate and potassium to the soil to help increase grass production in the hay fields and the grazing fields.

We are keeping the bison in their main (winter) grazing field probably until mid-May even though grasses are starting to take off in their summer grazing field.  Last week we rented a spreader filled with over three tons of nutrients to spread on the fields.  In addition to improving grass production, this should also lessen the time it takes to return the grazing field to proper pasture once the animals have eaten through it.

Our plans are to apply nutrients to the two hay fields and the summer grazing field and then, once we move the bison to the summer grazing field, do the same to their main (winter) grazing field to improve the soil.  We want to put nutrients on the unoccupied fields and let them improve before moving animals there.  Also, we are concerned about applying nutrients in the quantities needed when the animals are present for fear there may be an adverse effect.

We attempted to use the smaller tractor (55 hp) as it is newer and easier to work with but it proved too light to actually handle the initial weight of the spreader.  To be transparent, we had several issues at the chemical plant with the spreader, its loading, transporting and other aspects of the experience but what is important is that we were able to use the large tractor (75 hp) and easily spread the nutrients on the fields.  This tractor had no issues with the weight distribution in the spreader and easily pulled it up the hills and through the fields.  

This was the first time we had done this ourselves and we now feel more comfortable with the process.  All-in-all, it took about two hours to cover roughly 19 acres and we anticipate it will take less time going forward.  

Since we applied additional nutrients, we have had two days with rain and more is predicted.  Hopefully the rain, and some warmer weather, will help open the ground so the nutrients will be absorbed.  Time will tell but at least we have done what we can to help bring the nutrient levels in the fields back to recommended levels.

Our thoughts go out to all affected by the coronavirus.  We continue to stay well and hope that is the case with you and your families.

Michigan is greening up and it is wonderful to see.  The herd stays close to the hay feeders in the winter but now they graze in the far areas of the field.  Several of the cows are looking large and we hope to have calves early in the year.  We’ll share the good news when they arrive.  

We have our eyes on the weather, looking for a stretch of dry days in which to apply nutrients to the fields.  The extension agents in this area have been very helpful and we appreciate all of the knowledge that they share.

We grilled out last night…first time this year….and enjoyed bison burgers.  They were delicious! 

Today is very overcast and around 40 degrees.  We had some rain last evening and are expecting more this evening, but nothing torrential.  Since today is day four, and we try and deliver two bales to the herd every fourth day, we decided to do that and see if we could dart one animal who is acting fine but is a little on the thin side (not her normal “look”).

Bison are not dumb animals and while they seem as if they just trudge along most days, in reality they are intelligent and very curious creatures.  They have the ability to go from standing still and quiet to running 40 mph and acting agitated in an instant.  Each year we deliver an anti-parasite/worming agent via dart injection to our herd to help ensure they are healthy.  This is typically done in the fall but the more we learn from research it seems that early spring is a very good time to dart the animals and help ensure a healthy start to the year.

One of the issues we have encountered is their ability to “sense” when it is darting time.  After thinking a lot about this we finally concluded they can hear the sound of the dart gun when we take our practice shots and that alerts them.  This time we took the practice shots in the pole barn, with other noise in the background, and that seemed to make a huge difference.  The bison were all gathered around the upper feeder anticipating hay and did not move in the least as we entered with a bale on the spear.  That afforded us the opportunity to try and dart the animal in question and we were successful, even retrieving the spent dart.  

After we placed the bales on the feeders the animals were calm and content.  Looking around at where we are and what we are doing during this virus crisis we feel extremely fortunate to live where we do.  We are away from the crowds and throngs of people and can stay home and still get outside and experience nature and get some bison therapy!

We had a couple of inches of snow last night.  There wasn't much hay on the feeding platforms and Cochise began standing near the gate early in the morning.  We call this his "breakfast order" and it is a clear sign that he wants hay.  He had also moved our mineral feeder overnight, a sign of boredom.  The backup tractor driver was tasked with putting in the hay bales.  It wasn't the best effort.  We normally move one bale near the gate, then get another and take it in.  Once the first bale was in the experienced tractor driver decided to train the other driver on moving the hay/manure combination from around the lower feeder.  This means dropping the hay spear and using it to push the hay/manure off to the side over uneven ground.  The inexperienced driver did not excel at this task.  The frustration showed when that driver attempted to spear the second bale.....once.....twice.  The third spearing attempt was successful but then we overshot the feeding platform and had to back up in muck to get the bale in place.  We left the field feeling fortunate that we did not get stuck and glad that it was over.  Hopefully the next time will be better.  Practice makes perfect!

My how the world has changed since our last blog.  We are well and feel very fortunate to live in rural Michigan.  The stores here seem to have plenty of what consumers need, although it may not be the brand we normally buy.  We are outside each day caring for the herd, a small flock of chickens and our dogs and cats.  We believe that nature helps with a feeling of peacefulness and is good medicine. Our needs are limited and we plan to remain calm and carry on.  

We submitted our soil samples early and have reviewed the results with the agricultural extension agents who serve this area.  The fields need nitrogen, phosphate and potassium.  The local chemical plant stocks what we need and rents a spreader that we can pull with our truck and tractor.  In late April or early May we plan to treat all the fields.  We are going to economize and see how the fields respond and then consider overseeding next year.

We watch the herd closely for signs of parasites, usually evidenced by weight loss and loose stool.  One of our cows had clear signs of this so we darted her with Ivermectin two weeks ago and she looks as though she is filling out plus her stool is now solid.  It is great to see that turn around.  In past years, we added Safeguard to the water in the spring and darted with Ivermectin in the fall.  We’ve been less than pleased with the results of water treatment.  We can’t regulate how much each animal drinks so we haven’t been sure they are getting the right dose.  That is not the case with darting.  We’re going to continue with spring darting this year and see if we have better results.  

The backup tractor driver continues to train and is learning quickly.  Stay healthy and happy!

It is Saturday and a gorgeous early March day in Michigan.  The sun is shining, there isn’t a cloud in the sky and the temperature is in the 40’s.  Today is the perfect day to try and complete some of the items we have on our to-do list and tomorrow may be as well.  

Since bison are large animals, they tend to be a little destructive, even when they may not mean to be.  Case in point, our hay feeders.  We have two hay feeders as there is a pecking order in the herd and we want to make sure each animal gets enough food in the winter.  It is common to see the smaller animals, and even Cochise, standing in the feeders and eating and that puts a lot of stress on the feeders. We are not sure why but the upper feeder tends to withstand abuse better than the lower feeder as the latter requires more frequent repair.

A little over a month ago, the bison broke one of the side boards on the lower feeder and, during the last few weeks, they have decided to knock the hay bale off and spread it around a good bit.  That results in poor use of the hay and, since the mixture of hay, dung and mud don’t freeze solidly, the ground around the feeder becomes soft, making it difficult to get more hay to the feeder.  

Today we placed a new hay bale on the upper feeder, diverting the bison’s attention to it, and then added two new side boards on the lower feeder to help prevent them from knocking the hay off of that feeder.  Once that was complete, we added a bale to the lower feeder and cleaned the water tank, which had become ‘gunky’ from hay and dirt dropping into it.

One thing we have learned when working with these animals is to take advantage of any and all opportunities.  You just don’t know when you may have the chance again and we were fortunate today to be able to cross a couple of items off of our to-do list.

Earlier this week we had an informative call with our local extension agent about field planning.  Generally, he felt that we were on the right track…get soil samples, add minerals/nutrients to the fields, overseed with the no till drill.  He followed up with beef educators and they suggested adding nitrogen to the fields at green-up.  We also discussed frost planting with him but we prefer the no till drill and with warmer weather on the way we are probably past the frost planting period.  It is great to have extension agents available!

The following day we roamed the fields collecting samples. We took representative samples at a 6-inch depth from a number of sections in each field.  The weather has been warmer recently and despite snow cover in some areas we were able to get what we needed.  The soil was wet so we let the samples dry, mixed each one well and then boxed them to be mailed for analysis.  The extension office provides boxes and submission forms.  We will mail the samples tomorrow and hope to have results in a couple of weeks so that we can plan for the next steps.

Today it was sunny and beautiful in the afternoon.  The herd is already attempting to graze.  They prefer grass over hay any day.

One of the items on my bucket list has been to learn to drive the tractor.  We all know that life can change in an instant so we need to have two drivers.  I've had a lesson or two before but today we started in earnest.  We have a New Holland Workmaster 55 and rely on it.  Without it we would not be able to feed the herd in the winter.  I took my phone and dictated a few instructions but the cold weather caused my battery to fail quickly.  Fortunately, the information that I saved at the start of the training was what I had the most trouble remembering.  The bison still had hay on one feeder and seemed confused...why are we getting more hay and who is that driving?  The ground was frozen which made the entire experience much easier.  I am happy to say that all went well.  The weather is warming up over the next week which will make it harder to navigate.  I am going to keep putting the hay in, with my trainer, until I can do it on my own all the time.  Keep your fingers crossed!

The result of living in a very rural area means that we don’t know many of our neighbors.  We moved here nine years ago having lived and worked elsewhere.  There aren’t any homeowners associations around here and large tracts of agricultural land separate homes.  Most locals are leading busy lives and commuting a distance to work.  This past year we put a sign in front of our house advertising bison meat.  We’ve met a lot of nice local people because of this.  During the summer we sat on our porch and visited with a number of them.  

One neat thing about having bison is that many people are interested in them and enjoy seeing them.  We often notice cars slowing down to look into the pasture as they drive down our road.  When people meet us and learn that we are the “bison folk” they often tell us stories about watching our herd.  One person shared that, when her husband was dying from cancer, a drive past the herd was a helpful distraction.  It is great to know that others appreciate the animals too.

A few days ago, we received a call from someone wanting to start a business making bison bone broth.  We weren’t able to help him with the quantity of bones that he needs but it was interesting to hear about his idea. It is one more fun interaction that we wouldn’t have had without the herd.   

In order to be a successful bison farmer, focus on being a grass farmer…we believe it to be true.  It is time to plan for the 2020 fields.  Two years of drought in 2017 and 2018, combined with very wet conditions in 2019 and lots of hooves on top of it all have had a negative impact on our fields.  We are fortunate to have helpful Michigan extension agents serving our county.  We will take soil samples to them for the pastures/hay fields and they will send recommendations for fertilizer and any other nutrients that may be lacking.  Then we will determine the timing of those applications followed by replanting some sections of the pasture.  We plan to rent a no-till drill again for the planting.  A no-till drill allows for seeding without drastically disturbing the topsoil beforehand and is considered a best management practice because of its environmentally friendly nature.  We normally plant a midwestern grazer mix containing primarily cool weather plants: orchardgrass, fescue, ryegrass, meadow brome, red and white Clover.  This all needs to happen in the spring.  We’ll keep you posted on our efforts!

Today we'll be making a simple vegetable bison soup in the crockpot.  We have a busy day ahead and we enjoy having dinner waiting for us.  We are using bison soup bones with meat.  This is our least expensive cut and consumers seem to overlook it.  The amount of meat on the bones varies but there is plenty to allow for tasty chunks of meat in the soup.  The bones make a very flavorable broth.  We hope that you enjoy the recipe.

Simple vegetable bison soup   

• One large bottle of V-8 juice - spicy or low sodium to fit your taste 

• 2 cups shredded coleslaw mix 

• Two 15 1/2 ounce cans of stewed tomatoes 

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic 

• 8 ounces frozen green beans 

• 8 ounces frozen corn 

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 

• Sliced jalapeños (optional) 

• Bison soup bones with meat (we often use two packages, depending on the size) 

Trim any small pieces of bone from the larger pieces and throw the small pieces away.  Sear the meat as much as possible in hot oil on the stove. Once that is completed put the bones in the crockpot. Add all of the other ingredients and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. At that point remove the soup bones with meat from the crockpot. Trim the meat from the bones and cut it into bite size pieces.  Discard the bones. Put the meat back in the crockpot and cook for another hour.  

It is a very sunny and bright day but on the cool side as temperatures are in the low to mid 20’s.  Not much new snow since the last blog but we needed to put hay in today as tomorrow looks very busy.  Since it is cool and clear today the ground is a little bit harder and that means we can more easily put hay on the feeders.  During the summer the animals eat grass and so, unless there are drought conditions, hay is not typically needed.  However, from late fall to mid spring the grasses lie dormant and supplementing with hay is necessary. Bison much prefer grass to hay but will certainly eat the latter.

These cool and clear conditions also mean this is a decent time to clean the hay and bison manure from around the feeders.  This is something that needs to be done periodically for several reasons, not the least of which is to maintain easier access to the feeders in order to distribute hay.

Unlike the last attempt to get hay from a particular stack, this time we were able to easily remove the bales from that stack, back up on the snowy ground and get the hay to the feeders.  Cochise and the rest of the crew were very calm and, as always, happy to get new hay.  

One of the more enjoyable jobs (NOT) when working with bison and/or cattle is removing the manure and hay that builds up around feeders.  This generally builds up in layers, becoming thicker over time, and remains soft and ‘gooey’ (seldom freezing) due to the combination of ingredients.  Heavier objects, such as tractors tend to sink in the mix so we start by whittling away at the outer portions, working our way inward toward the feeders.  

Today was a good day to remove a lot of this ‘stuff’ as it is much easier to do now than when the ground is soft. So, we took the initiative and began breaking it up layer by layer and pushing it into piles so that it can be removed and spread on the fields when the weather warms a bit.  Bison are very curious animals and several times during the effort to remove manure we were joined by Cochise, and a number of others, looking over the job and inspecting the changes.

This escapade took around three hours, during which we were able to remove a good bit of manure but some still remains for clean-up later.  Once the job was finished a quick sniff was used to determine that clothes and humans involved needed to be cleaned and the odor removed.  Thankfully, we shouldn’t have to do this again for a while.

February 16, 2020 is a cool day with temperatures in the upper 20s and roughly 5-6” of light, fluffy, snow on the ground.  

We try to feed our bison four 800/lb hay bales each week (two feedings of two bales) and today they are anxiously awaiting the new bales as there isn’t much left on the feeders. Our hay bales are stacked near the field in a triangular fashion in formations of 15-18 bales, with 5-6 stacks of two bales on pallets on the ground and one bale on top of them. Each of these formations is covered in a tarp to protect the bales from weather. West Michigan is hilly and the row we are attempting to take two bales from is on a slightly downward angle, with the downward side lower than the tractor.  We spear the top bale and lift the bale off of the bottom two then attempt to back up.  But our rear tires spin in the feather light and slick snow and we cannot move.  We replace the top bale and attempt to remove it once more and are again unsuccessful.  So, we move to a different formation of bales, one that is angled downward toward the rear of the tractor so backing up isn’t an issue, and are able to spear and remove two bales, one for each feeder.  

As we enter the man trap area with a bale on the spear, Cochise is in a snit and is eagerly attacking the inside gate, his favorite target, while everyone else awaits new hay.  We must go through that gate to get inside the field.  He hooks his horn on the gate and pulls it toward the inside of the field then pushes it inward toward our ‘man trap’ area in an attempt open it.  This makes it difficult for us to open as the gate has two chains wrapped around it and they must be removed before the gate can be pushed open to allow a tractor inside with a bale for the feeder. 

With Cochise pulling on the gate the chains are taught and difficult to remove and one must be careful not to get any fingers caught between the post and chain Cochise is pulling on.  Once the chains are released the gate is pushed open to the inside and Cochise raises his tail and actively begins head-butting the gate.  While a bale is added to the lower feeder, he continues to push the gate around, smashing into it with his head and horns, until several of the other bison begin to move toward the new hay.  As soon as he notices they are moving he stops his attack on the gate and strolls with them to the new hay bale. 

Due to the light snow in the field even the slightest incline is quite slick but we are able to successfully get a bale to each feeder without getting stuck.  Once a bale has been added to each feeder, we add a bit more mineral to the mineral tank, and add water to the water tank, then return to the pole barn and put the tractor away.