GREAT NORTHERN BISON RANCH
Regenerative grazing bison herd in beautiful north central Wisconsin.
100% grass fed and finished, incomparable taste and nutrition.
Our Story
Family owned, God led.
Our Story began in 2015 when we visited Jackson, Wyoming, and Yellowstone National Park. We fell in love with the Bison. The passion began brewing in all of our hearts. In 2016, we moved to Wisconsin in a rural area. We continued to visit Wyoming every year. As we contemplated our future, we began planning for a small bison ranch that we could have after we retire from our day jobs. In 2017, we were having a conversation with the farmer that developed the area where we live and he and his wife were retiring and moving to western Wisconsin; He wanted to sell his agricultural land and you know the rest of the story. We purchased the first twenty acres in 2018 and the other 20 acres in 2020. This was a blessing that the Lord had led us to this beautiful place and provided the resources for us to begin our ranch.
We met the Graese family from North Star Bison in 2017 and have appreciated the friendship and professional relationship that we have with them. They have been our unofficial mentors for some time now.
We began attending the National Bison Association Conferences in 2017 and met Kevin Leier from Heartland Bison Ranch in Rugby, North Dakota. We were both impressed with his knowledge about Bison and his expertise in breeding. We visited him and his family at their ranch during the summer of 2018 and purchased 10 bred bison heifers in which he delivered to us in December 2018. He brought us our first bull in May 2019. We had 100% calving rate in 2019 so our herd doubled in just a short period of time. In 2020, we added 8 more calves and we purchased 10 more bred heifers from the Leiers which brought our herd count to 34. We did experience a few unexpected deaths along the way and we did have to cull a cow because she kicked her calf off two years in a row. By the end of May, we should have a herd of 50.
We began meat sales in 2020 and continue to grow that business through ranch sales, farmers markets, and online sales. We have friends and neighbors that help us with our annual roundups and any task where we need an extra hand. We are thankful for our ranch and the ability to raise our children in this environment.
John and Melody, Ranch Hands
The Christian family joined the Great Northern Bison Ranch team in January of 2025, taking over managing the ranch full time while the Holcombs are away.
Their family is originally from Colorado, but sold it all to travel full time for three years in their RV. Ultimately, they wanted to settle down and homestead land that they could call their own... which led them to northern Wisconsin (John is a Wisconsin native) and meeting Rob and Tanya!
They met Rob and Tanya in 2024, and had the pleasure of staying on their ranch in their RV for several months in the summer. They fell in love with the bison and the ranch, and they still pinch themselves that they get to work with these incredible animals on this beautiful land every day.
John does accounting work for small businesses, and Melody does brand and website design – but if you ask them, they'd rather be out in the pasture with the bison (even in those freezing temps)!
They're learning as they go, and are enjoying caring for the beautiful herd. They're also running the table at the Wausau Farmers Market (stop by and say hello!), and managing bison meat sales (available for pick up and shipping). So if you're in the area, chances are you'll see THEIR faces associated with the ranch!
