Southern Plains Bison: Jan 2016

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Successes, Failures &Taking Responsibility Tis the season in which we find out about our management, our handling and our bottom-line validation in raising and producing bison. I am not home much this time of year and am privileged to watch, and be part of, many operations in the process of evolving as proficient bison operations and managers.  It is my sincere hope that all the good folks I help – continue to fail… Let me explain. We tend to listen to advice given by those with great successes. I think most would agree that Bill Gates would fall into the … Read more

Southern Plains Bison: Dec 2015

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Southern Plains Pointers December 2015   This holiday season was nothing short of a roller-coaster for folks and bison in the southern plains. We went from Christmas in the 70’s to spring jet-stream collisions and tornadoes, to drifting snow and ice in a period of a week. This kind of stuff really brings into focus the bison-advantage of resilience and durability.  Our job, as stewards, is to make the performance of natural behaviors possible. Observing your herd’s behavior in times of environmental extremes can aid you in knowing how to manage for it.   Sales, conferences, shows, gatherings and bison-works … Read more

For the love of Texas Bison & Wine – December 2015

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For the love of Texas Bison and Texas Wine by Dan Humphries ~ Bull Dancer Bison Ranch – Dec 2015 As a bison rancher that sells grass fed bison meat and also products in the wine industry I just want to share the excitement in the Texas Wine industry about the paring of Texas Bison Meat and Texas Wines.  I have worked with many Texas Wineries in supplying bison meat with wine parings for special events.  I now am excited to share with Bison Ranchers some of the Texas Wines recommended with your favorite Bison Meat recipes. Wine paring recommendations … Read more

Southern Plains Pointers: Nov 2015

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Checking boxes: Tis the season to check boxes as you make plans for addressing the health, both financial and physical, of your herd and their habitat. If you would rather refer to their habitat as a farm or ranch, I’m fine with that, but at the end of the day it’s a habitat for many living things, including your bison. One of the most important box checking exercises should happen before you ‘work’ the herd.  If you have self-audited the functionality of your handling system in past works, it serves you well to re-visit what you’ve documented and leave enough … Read more

Southern Plains Bison: Oct 2015

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Conception Rates, Culling Decisions & The #1 Factor   This is the time of year when we all prepare to work our bison and make decisions about our herd based on what they are doing for us, or represent to the sustainability of our economic model. I tend to look at a bison-work, as a survey of facilitation or husbandry that the bison participate in. We collect data such as; body weight, body score, weaning weight [whether we wean or not], yearling weights, conception rate, dentition, and humane handling efficiency. While data-sets and surveys, like many analogous ‘whatever’s’, only work … Read more

Southern Plains Bison: Sept 2015

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It’s Official! Texas and the southern plains are back in a drought. Just last spring, we were literally under water. Some regions are becoming severe while others are just dang dusty. Unfortunately, the drought is hitting southern plains bison herds at the worst time of year for health and reproduction. Some bison will be resilient on their own, while others will depend on the human element for health.  This year what’s happening is a perfect storm for causing unhappy bison producers for the following reasons. 1] Excessive rains [understatement] in the spring propelled excessive parasites in the habitats. We had … Read more

For The Love of Texas Bison -August 2015

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For The Love of Texas Bison – Aug 2015 Bull Dancer Bison Ranch As a high school junior Shelby Bishop reached out to a few bison ranches in Texas.  The Bull Dancer Bison Ranch (BDBR) was the lucky ranch that got to work with her.  She had entered a sculpture she created of the endangered Texas Horned Toad in the Houston Live Stock Show.  Before finding out that her piece was a finalist and premium class winner at HLSR she was planning on doing her next sculpture of a buffalo. Shelby contacted Dan and Susan Humphries, owners of the BDBR, … Read more

Southern Plains Bison Aug 2015

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Southern Plains Pointers  Aug 2015 What’s going on out there? While I wish there were management boxes that could be checked that result in herd-health and production assurances, it just doesn’t work that way when you’re in charge of habitats and animals. August and September are the months that require of us the ability to keep an eye on ‘what’s going on out there’, where-the-buffalo-roam. Late summer in the southern plains can vary widely depending on the eco-region or biome that you’re managing. Some habitats have native grasses that are now becoming less selectable and nutritious, while other habitats have … Read more

Southern Plains Bison: July 2015

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Out where the buffalo roam, the mating season is marked by behaviors and sounds of territorial declaration. In my travels across the southern plains – breeding season normally begins now, and is evidenced by deep loud vocalizations, as well as a change in the attitude of otherwise un-aggressive bulls. All the sudden, the bull that acted like your ‘buddy’ for a cube, is looking at you differently while he multitasks reacting to the politics of the herd that includes uncooperative cows and competition for them as mates. In multi-sire herds, each and every bull is up against the same circumstance … Read more

Southern Plains Bison: June 2015

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Lots of grass, plenty of water; what could go wrong? Right? This year is different than many of the past, and in many ways including any normalcy in nature. We can expect that our native-grazers might also be a bit more mysterious if we don’t observe diligently – ascertain and react. I think the best way to accomplish this is to observe the herd, and their behaviors, with attention to how content they seem. The answers your looking for come in questions: 1] Compared to the herds history; are they consuming an inordinate amount of mineral? 2] Are they getting … Read more