Allowing Bison to be Bison
Landscape: While the Rocky Mountain Front has provided a home for bison for thousands of years, their numbers began a steady decline in the mid-1800’s. Those remaining animals became the last wild bison left in the lower 48 states and provided the seed stock for what would later become the National Bison Range. By reintroducing bison to their native range, the Diamond 4D Ranch offers the perfect ecosystem for the animals to thrive for many years to come while maintaining the ranching heritage of the area.
Bison: At the Diamond 4D Ranch we allow our bison to be bison. By intensely monitoring our animals and their effect upon the range, while also allowing movement and fresh grassland in a timely fashion, we have selected the best of our herd time and again to achieve a phenotype that consistently yields both high returns and a proven track record of fertility.
Feed: Our bison are solely grass-fed with compressed alfalfa pellet supplementation only during the most challenging winter months. We allow our animals to express their natural abilities selecting those that exhibit the genetics and temperament to provide consistent profitability for our harsh climate while providing a grass-fed, healthier alternative for meat consumers.
Genetics: We vigorously select only the top performers within our herd. Using a database that analyzes individual performance along with dam and sire performance, we are able to choose animals that consistently provide a positive rate of return in terms of fertility, rate of gain and carcass quality.
Management: The Diamond 4D Ranch strives to create a setting that is beneficial to both wildlife and agriculture by integrating progressive management practices and natural processes to achieve a sustainable environment that is ecologically sound and compliments the surrounding wild and scenic landscape. Combining these management practices while allowing bison to express their innate abilities, we are able to not only preserve but restore native prairie ecosystems.