Welcome to Stonehaven Bison Ranch….where the buffalo roam.
Poison ivy, Toxicodendron radicans, really likes me. Unfortunately, the feeling is not mutual. We do quite a bit of work clearing trees, building fence and other chores that require work in brushy and grassy areas. In many of those areas, particularly where there are lots of trees, poison ivy flourishes. I don’t remember having an allergy to…
Musk Thistle You’ve probably seen musk thistles growing along highways and back roads. From a distance, they are kind of pretty when they bloom with their fluffy purple flowers. Up close, though, you can see the spiny stem and leaves. You may ask yourself, “Why would anyone want to pick thistles?” And you’d be right….
One of the first questions people ask me when I tell them I raise bison is, “Are bison like cattle?” My response: “Well, yes…..and no.” Bison eat the same things cattle eat for the most part. Ours have a diet that is mostly grass with some minerals and range cake thrown in. That’s a little…
It’s hard to believe that hay season is here already. Mowing and baling hay is an iffy business as are most farming operations that depend on weather. The farmer/rancher must make sure there’s enough time to mow, let the hay sit and dry for a bit, then rake and bale it before it rains. Some…
No, we have not bought a bulldozer, although that might not be a bad idea considering the number of locust and Osage orange trees we need to remove. Bull-dozer in this instance refers to our actual bison bulls (and the cows). Bison have heavy winter coats that they shed in the spring. They are looking…
Spring is my favorite season, particularly when spring is as wonderfully cool as this spring in Kansas has been. Trees and flowers bloom, gardens grow (well, other people’s gardens) the grass is green and new life is everywhere. Our first calf ever was born on April 3, 2016, so we have been eagerly awaiting our first…
Kevin and I are celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary this week. That sounds really impressive until you hear that one couple in our church celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary last year. I’m not sure my husband and I will live long enough to hit 75 years together, but we intend to try. Every relationship requires…
Kevin and I both have had relatives that have served in the military. One of my uncles served in the Army in World War II. Another earned an Army silver star in Korea. My dad enlisted in peace time, and was stationed in Germany. Kevin served in the Air Force and Air National Guard, and…
Bison are large animals. A mature bull can weigh around 2,000 pounds. I never thought much about what bison do to entertain themselves. When we’d see them in the wild, they’d be grazing as they moved across the grass lands. Now that we raise bison, we are getting an up-close and personal experience in getting…
On a farm or ranch, you might expect to pick vegetables, flowers, fruit—any number of growing things. But rocks?! Yet, at Stonehaven, rocks are one thing we have no shortage of. The earth expels them during the winter. When the bison walk over them, they become loose in the ground—ripe for picking. We think that…
