FAIRBURN, S.D. -Â Mimi Hillenbrand knows her stock and her farm. It’s no small feat; there are 1,800 bison and 26,000 acres.
“We aim for 25 acres per cow-calf pair,” said Hillenbrand.
“Seven years of drought means we keep having to adjust, but this grass is oddly resilient to the conditions.”
A little dust lifts from the soil’s surface, but despite a strong breeze there is little soil erosion apparent on the ranch that abuts the Badlands National Park in southwestern South Dakota.
“We get some land that gets beaten up by prairie dogs, but the bison are pretty easy on the grass. I suppose it’s evolution. If they killed (the grass) they wouldn’t have survived,” she said.
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Hillenbrand’s card says this without words. On one side is an image of a bison bull in profile. On the other, equally dominant, is a crown of healthy grass in flower.
“Years like this one take their toll. Too many days over 100 (Fahrenheit) and no rain,” she said.
Away from the former prairie dog infestation, where the herd is now grazing, the bit of dust in the air settles down. The grass shows off some green among the light brown and grey soil and it fills in with plant litter between the larger crowns.
“It’s all about the grass,” said Hillenbrand as she piloted her yellow Landcruiser across the pastures.
Hillenbrand also runs 600 cows and 58 breeding bulls on the ranch.
“Our market for the bison is steady. You don’t get rich on bison. But you don’t get rich on cattle as a primary producer either,” she said.
Hillenbrand and her two staff market both grain and grass finished lines.
“We’ve done lots of taste tests. Nobody can tell the difference, but the market wants what the market wants, so we give them both,” she said.
Animals are marketed to a local abattoir and through Rocky Mountain Natural Meats in Denver, Colorado, and a few local health food stores and butchers in Rapid City, S.D. Bison from the 777 Ranch bison are highlighted on chef M.J. Adams’ internationally reviewed Corn Exchange restaurant in Rapid City.
The meat is source verified and natural. Due to the size of 777 Ranch and the philosophy of its owner, there is little room for intensive animal management.
An annual roundup brings in the animals. The calves and two-year-old bulls are separated from the rest of the herd and culls are made. Tags are applied – blue for grain fed and green for grass.
It’s the one time of year when additional hands are needed to work with the bison and up to seven people keep the animals moving through the system. Animals are identified, weighed, logged into a computer and inspected for overall condition.
A sturdy set of corrals that have evolved in design over the ranch’s 25 year bison rearing history keep the animals moving forward.
“We’ve found it’s better to let them go in directions they want to move in. It’s easier on them, us and the facilities,” said Hillenbrand.
The corrals cover several acres. Built of galvanized highway guardrail and deeply set posts, the steel chutes and runways are rimmed with expanded metal catwalks that keep staff away from bison as they sweep through the facility.
“I’ve ended up welding most of it myself. You can buy some of this, but each ranch is different. We keep finding better ways to do things and adapting the facilities to meet our needs,” she said.
“We move the animals every few days. It’s pretty intensive grazing, but it keeps the grass in good condition.”
Hillenbrand has defied the drought when it comes to water. She has been reopening old wells that fell into disuse as rural water systems replaced the pumped ground water.
“I’m real proud of the wells. We’ve got that coming along. Our corrals just got off the piped-in juice. There’s lots of good water down there,” she said.
A 100 acre lake is rapidly drying up on the property. Hillenbrand’s family once used its water to irrigate hay crops but ceased the practice more than a decade ago in favour of natural prairie grasses.
“Now most of our farm work comes from moving animals and fixing (the six strand barbed wire) fence,” she said.
In 25 years the ranch saw the highs of the bison market before 2001.
“It was a great time to be in bison. OK, prices are lousy compared to then, but it’s still a great time to be in bison,” she said.
“Instead of feeding out our heifer calves, we sell them to other folks. Because of the drought I won’t replace the cull cows this year. That’ll mean I lose 50 or 60 head. But we’ll get by,” she said.
Hillenbrand said the 777 Ranch’s ability to survive on low livestock prices is based on its low cost of operation.
“If the bison have some grass, a little water, they don’t need much else. They are naturally pretty healthy so the costs are relatively low,” she said.
“It’s a drought but we see our springs still bubbling. There’s grouse, jack rabbits, elk, big horn sheep. The swift fox is here, weasels, pelicans where there’s water,” said Hillenbrand.
The only predators she controls are those that steal the grass, the prairie dogs.
“And only when there’s too many. The government takes care of it for us,” she said.
