Buffalo Audience

We've had two warm days- up to 70 degrees by late afternoon. The wind was finally down too so I tackled the flower beds in front of the Visitors Center Wednesday after work.

I had left the dead plant mulch over the winter to protect the perennials and rose bushes, and now pulled or cut all the brown matter off to uncover the starting crowns of flowers and tulip shoots.

Hearing a soft snort, I looked up and saw that my action had gathered an audience. Takoda and the cows had come up to the fence by the handicap parking area to see what I was doing down on my hands and knees.

I went inside to get the camera to take their picture, and then went down to their eye level to show you what they were seeing too.

When people call to ask if they can see buffalo at our place, I tell them they are right by the building sometimes, and I mean right by it.

When Verne built our Visitors Center in 2002, the buffalo herd spent those months parked along the fence to watch and listen as the building frame and roof took shape. They were curious and fascinated with the progress, just like they were with me cleaning the flower beds.

This week the herd is spending most of their time scouting for green grass. I really noticed a difference this morning in the look of the pasture. It’s starting to green up.

There’s a 60% chance of rain tomorrow, so that should help the grass’s progress too. Spring is on the way!

Favorite Food

Each morning brings an ever so slightly change of color in the pasture. Tints of green are showing up as blades of grass start their spring growth.

The buffalo are seeking the clumps around every part of the pasture, and to the very edge of the fence line. Pictured is our cow Ida and her calf nibbling new grass.

Me and the buffalo are in the same mode today. Just can’t get enough of our favorite food.

Although the delicacy that I’m grazing on today is fresh Belgium choclates that my sister in Virginia shipped to me for my birthday tomorrow. Knowing that the chocolate was flown in from Belgium this week, I opened it immediately to start my celebration early. It is fresh and melts slowly in my mouth. I can tell it’s the “good stuff” with high quality ingredients.

Shipping food around the world, or across country is so easy these days because of the internet. We ship buffalo meat from our Kansas pasture to both coasts. Our customers order from us and eagerly open their meat coolers because we’re known for growing and delivering top quality meat.

Have you had a treat today? Make sure it’s super tasty and the “good stuff”- whether it’s a tender buffalo ribeye steak ….or a choclate truffle.

Goodbye Tonka

Nine year old Tonka moved on today, not to the "big pasture in the sky", but to a new pasture in western Kansas to be with 55 other buffalo.

He moved to our pasture on January 16, 2005 and spent three seasons with our cow herd. Since his daughters will be old enough to breed this year, Tonka is moving out, and three year old Takoda takes over as herd bull.

Verne called the herd in from the pasture this afternoon, and sorted Tonka into a pen by himself to wait for the trailer that would move him.

The cows wandered past the Visitors Center to go back out to our pasture, but then Esther our head cow, couldn't find Tonka. She and the rest of the herd headed back to the holding pens looking for him.

As a 2000 lb. mass of muscle and hair, he's been a congenial bull whose picture has been taken by people from around the world.

His big claim to fame is his relish for pumpkins. He LOVES them, and inhales one whenever given as a treat. Visitors who took the tram out to the buffalo herd during our maze weekends watched him charge and devour any orange pumpkins thrown into the pasture.

I had one frozen pumpkin left in the shop, waiting for the perfect time to give it to Tonka. This morning I took the frozen mass out to thaw for his last treat.

When he was loaded and in the trailer, I pushed the thawed soggy pumpkin in the trailer for him. At the moment he was mad about being confined and not in the mood to thank me, but hopefully he’ll enjoy it as a snack down the road.

Esther and the herd stood by the fence to watch him leave, then headed back to the pasture without him.

Goodbye Tonka...

The Buffalo Leader

Yep, more snow. The buffalo take it in stride, going about their day.

We’re just getting warm again today after our last round of snow. For the last month our weather has varied from snow to mud, getting back to almost dry… and start over with snow again.

This past Saturday was our election of officers for our Kansas Buffalo Association. My husband, Verne was not on the ballot for president, but he was nominated from the floor and won!

He's a very level-headed, organized man, so he will work hard for the organization this year. So Verne (and I) will be working with the group's officers and board to promote our Kansas state animal, our member's herds, and related buffalo businesses.

Goals include getting a good website up for the KBA, talking to Kansas legislators about bison issues, and promoting the buffalo by giving group tours, manning an information booth at the Kansas State Fair, and whatever else the board decides to do.

We appreciate and admire the American Bison, so proud to promote them!

18 degree Buffalo

The ground is covered with snow, and it's only 18 degrees in the middle of the afternoon, so winter is back in Kansas.

The Visitors Center is quiet with few people driving out here to our farm this week. I'm spending the uninterrupted time doing employee W2's, and getting ready for our tax appointment next week.

Occasionally I look out the window to see what the buffalo herd it up to. Yesterday they ran by pell mell for some reason...maybe just to warm up!

This morning Verne was driving out to the pasture with a bale of Sudan Grass on the tractor as the herd was coming in for their morning drink of water. Verne had to raise the bale higher because the buffalo thought it would be fun to eat it right off the tractor's fork. The buffalo are always curious of what’s coming into their pasture.

After the herd moved past, Verne drove out to the bale feeder to drop the bale in. The buffalo will munch of this bale during the week between foraging on the snow-covered pasture.

Mild and Muddy

So nice to have a mid January so far, after our stormy December...The weather has been mild and melting. There are still muddy spots on the roads, and the alley to the pasture, but the snow is finally gone.

Our landscape is now the browns of winter grass and bare trees again.The herd does not like mud, and avoid any spots they can on their way to the winter water tanks.

Since the snow is gone, Verne and our high school help have spend the last two Saturdays cleaning the little pasture of trees. This is a never ending job to keep trees, mostly cedar and Osage orange, from taking over the grasslands.

Prairie fires took care of this problem centuries ago, but now it’s a winter project. So many pastures in the state have not been kept clean, and it has changed our landscape over the last few decades. And many pastures are being bought for hunting, rather than grazing, so those landowners want the tree and brush cover instead.

Some calm day in early spring Verne will burn the dead grass and brush piles to renew the pasture again.This will make a clear landscape and tasty new grass for the yearling bulls that will move in for the summer months.

Here it is January, and we're working towards spring and summer already here on the Kansas prairie...

Time Off

Verne and I took off for southwest Oklahoma last Friday for a little time away from the business. There was a bison rancher selling most of his stock and we wanted to attend the sale. Sad to think that the herd of 1100+ animals was split up to travel to new homes in several states, but they were sold in groups so they will adjust.

We bid on a group of very young calves that needed some time and attention, but ended up getting out of the bidding when it got high. We didn't have a trailer along, so would have had the extra cost of hiring someone else to bring them home too.

Then we drove north to southern Kansas visit Verne's college roommate and his family. We've kept in touch over the decades, but hadn't been at their farm for a number of years. Mark and Patsy raise stocker steers and wheat.

I'm going to try one of Patsy's favorite beef burger recipes with bison. Finely grate a small potato, mix with a lb of burger and a half package of Lipton's Dry Onion Soup Mix. Lightly shape into a burger patty, then grill, or cook in a covered skillet. Please let me know how it turns out for you, and if you have any more suggestions. I think I'll add some liquid smoke, a little Worcestershire sauce to my mix.

We stopped at Ted's Montana Grill in Wichita for our Sunday noon lunch. Verne had his burger smothered with Swiss cheese, onions and mushrooms, and I had mine with roasted green peppers, Monterey Jack cheese, and avocado slices. There are so many ways to fix ground bison, and they are all so good! I never get tired of it.

We had a quiet New Year’s Eve, and celebrated Verne’s birthday on New Year’s Day. (He was born at 12:15 am).

Now it’s back to work in the office, getting ready for taxes, and planning for 2008.

It was a cold 5 degrees here this morning. I saw the herd coming in at noon, so I went out and chipped the ice out of the drinking cups in their waterer. It’s heated, but the cows haven’t been in to the tank for days (been eating snow instead) so I knew they would appreciate some fresh water.

So life is back to normal here at the Bison Farm. We enjoyed the holidays, now we’re starting the New Year with healthy living, food, plans…and fresh water. We look forward to hearing from you, by email, phone, and orders in 2008!

Linda @ the Bison Farm