On a 10,000-acre ranch in the southwest corner of North Dakota, Wayne and his family — wife LeAnn, son Conner and daughter Jenna — share the land with up to 250 bison cows at a time. The Buchholz’ have been raising bison since 1996, representing a third generation with ties back to Wayne's grandfather. Wayne’s parents, Neil and Doris Buchholz, remain active in the business today. LeAnn manages all of the book work for the business. When asked what his favorite part of raising bison is, Wayne responded, “the many friends we’ve made along the way.”
As with many bison ranchers, the Buchholz’s have a treat dispenser on the back of their truck. When they enter the pasture, the bison come running for their “cake.”
Did you know?
At one time an estimated 70,000,000 bison (scientific name for buffalo) roamed North America. Unregulated killing of bison led to the many millions of animals being reduced to no more than 1,500 individuals in the mid to late 1800s. Today, bison are back. Legal protection of bison, the establishment of preserves, along with individual ranches raising animals on their own have restored the bison to greater than 350,000 animals.