In the farthest south west corner of the state is the prairie community of LuVerne, MN — a hop-skip-and-a-jump from from Blue Mounds State Park where foraging bison herds are a unique and beautiful attraction. Not far on the other side of town sits Prairie Heights Bison, owned by Dr. John Bowron, DVM. John and his wife Jeanne started raising bison in 1996 — a switch for John after years of raising beef cattle with his dad. The ranch sits on 480 acres and at any given time bus tours through the pasture will show off 200 - 250 head of bison. John's favorite ranch story is the first ranch story. He still shakes his head in disbelief as he tells you: "In 1999 I brought home a trailer of bull calves from Montana. I had all 44 head walk right out of my yard, across the highway, and finally settle about four miles from the ranch. I forced myself to stay calm, filled a feed bucket with grain, and by luck, got all of them to follow me to a small fenced area. They settled in and thankfully I was able to get them loaded onto the trailer and hauled back home. The scariest part was that the very next day was opening deer hunting in Minnesota. I can only imagine how far these animals would have run when they heard the sound of gun shots. I might never have seen them again."
His favorite part about raising bison? "Most all of it," says John "It's a good feeling — people telling you that you have a good product." John is semi-retired from his veterinary practice, working only two days a week. He and Jeanne have four grown daughters, and a dog named Katie.
Did You Know? The color and character of a bison's fur varies with the season. All bison calves are born golden brown in color. A mature bull in the winter has a dark brown, almost black, coat. The length of the hair measures up to sixteen inches on the forehead, ten inches on the forelegs, and only eight inches on the hindquarters. No wonder the bison, unlike domestic cattle, face into storms.