The latest news from Ron & T of The Buffalo Wool Co. at RATH Ranch.
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Happy Saturday Friends!
Hope all is well in your part of the world.. Things here are good, just been working since we got back. Seven days on the road will also wear you out... but things must be done. Trying to get the warehouse filled with stuff since y'all do such a great job of helping us empty it.
We are getting it done, with the help of some of our great partners.
Mike at the Knitting Mill delivered a bunch of our eyehole balaclavas and some of the most beautiful bison scarves we have seen yet. We are getting better at this finishing stuff, the spinning mill did a stellar job on this batch of yarn... and it really comes through in the product feel and quality. Kim has some Father's Day soap sets, and we have restocked some of the socks, gloves, beanies, etc. Did just get in some new lighter weight work gloves in yesterday, thanks to my father, I really like them too. More like a mechanics or roping glove than the heavy bison work ones we have
I mentioned the other day that I would tell the entire Tipi story.. and it's really pretty funny, and includes quite a few friends, some questionable decisons and just how weird things can get around here...
Whenever asked how we got to this point in our lives, our answer is always, "It was a series of poor life choices" Now, having said that, we are blessed in so many ways, wonderful family, amazing friends, and a fun lifestyle that is more work than I would have ever believed is possible, but it's great.. keeps us busy and occasionally out of trouble... so, if you are interested, it's a fairly long story and I put it after the products we have available on this note, as I am hoping you make some good choices for Father's Day... as you know, Dad deserves the best.
So, having prefaced the tale that lies down below, I hope you enjoy the story, and if it inspires you to come hang out with us sometime and do some silly stuff, that would be great too!
Hope you have a wonderful day
Ron & T, and the Crew here at the BWC.
Today is also the last day before we will be increasing prices on the new prodution runs. So, if there is something you want, I recommend grabbing it now. I truly hate to do this, but in order to continue making stuff, we unfortunately have to do it.
Summer Bison Conference Recap – Lazy G Ranch
The recent Summer Bison Conference at the Lazy G Ranch was a fantastic success! We welcomed a strong turnout of new and prospective bison ranchers from across the region who were eager to learn, connect, and get their operations started on the right hoof.
Experts delivered practical, in-depth sessions on key topics including rotational grazing and pasture management, bison nutrition and forage quality, low-stress handling and facility design, herd health and calving strategies, fencing and infrastructure best practices, and marketing and value-added opportunities for bison meat and by-products.
The Southeast is challenging for parasitism in bison? Dr. Cassandra and Dr. Joe from the University of Tennessee shared their veterinary perspective. Our friend Dr. Jeff Martin (the guy who did the study on how bison socks run cooler than cotton socks in Tx heat) gave a great presentation on body condition scoring. Dave and Liz, at Strategy Bison gave an excellent presentation on bison nutrition, and the always amazing Chad Kramer hosted a panel discussion on topics all across the board... really great education there.
One of the most valuable parts of the event was the time spent listening directly to these newcomers. Their questions, challenges, and goals were incredibly insightful. By pairing what they needed with the hard-earned wisdom of our more experienced ranchers, we generated a number of practical, actionable plans tailored to their specific situations.
It was inspiring to see experienced producers generously sharing their knowledge and new ranchers walking away with clear next steps and strong mentor connections. The energy and momentum from the weekend were exactly what the bison industry needs right now. A huge thank you to everyone who attended and contributed — we’re already looking forward to building on this success at the next gathering, and now we have some work to do.
Love being part of this amazing community. It is a group of great people.
Special Buy- 120 pairs each LG and XL available.
Really comfortable glove.. these will fly out the door quickly I believe.
Poor Life Choices, and the fun that comes with them.
So, a fair bit back, I had a friend from social channels write and ask if we could procure 200 bison scrotums for him. Turns out, he was the guy who started the brand "Mo Betta" western shirts.. and he is a very cool guy. Well, not liking to say "No" to a good guy like this, I contacted the processor we work with and asked.. and was told "sure, we can get those for you" and they did... just around the time I had to drive to Denver for an National Bison Association Strategic Planning session, and made arrangements to pick them up and bring them back through and drop them off at a guy named Badger's place in the Panhandle.. who was going to get them tanned for first friend...
Well, at some point, Emma from the plant called, and said they had collected more than double what I had asked for, and did I want the rest of them... well, again, having a hard time with the "N" word.. and by that I mean "NO". We also believe very strongly in the "don't waste anything" and do really try and walk the walk on that, and knowing these would probably be trashed if we didn't take them, I said "sure, we can do something with them" so, by the time I left the conference, I had 500+ frozen bison scrotums in the truck.
I had drug a good friend along on this trip just to keep me company, and we did have fun along the way, and we managed to meet up with Badger, deliver the 200, and made a new friend (he ended up being the guy we gave the big truck too) So when we got home, I managed to squeeze 300 bison scrotums into the big freezer...might not have told T, and I had no plan at all, but it made for some good jokes... for about 3 years. So, at some point, Badger calls and tells me that the scrotums aren't empty... well, that opened up a whole new rabbithole of intrigue. Had the thought of frying them and serving at the next Texas bison conference, somehow I had been cooking for the last couple of those events, just to help save on catering costs. But I didn't have a chance, and somehow ended up meeting some new friends who make bison supplements (the testicles are prized for some pretty amazing results) I believe we offer some on the website now. I am also taking bison liver pills currently.. really good stuff.
Well, as things would have it, they were actually empty... so, the plans for serving a bison fry at the Texas conference went out the window. and they really needed to be tanned into some possibles pouches, and I had thought that I could do it... well, time and the schedule made this close to impossible. So, in the freezer they sat, FOR A LONG LONG TIME
We attend quite a few bison functions, partly because of our volunteer positions with the NBA and NBF and mostly because they are fun, and our friends are there... so, when the Oklahoma Bison Association had their spring auction, T and I made the trek to OKC, and at the event, some of our very good friends, Chris and Theda Pogue from GP Ranch were there. I had been following along as Chris was doing some of his own tanning and leatherwork, and it is quite impressive, I had bought T a bison leather purse he made a while before. Well, we got to talking, and Chris recommended a native friend down in the Texas hill country who he thought would be able to do them justice and make beautiful pouches. I liked that plan.
So, that was our introduction to Gene, and as luck would have it, we got invited to a wedding down in the hill country, right about the time we got our plans to get these tanned worked out.. so made the drive, went to the wedding, and then delivered the sacks... well, that was just the beginning of our interactions. Had a really nice customer ask if we could make a very large rug from 4 bison hides, and knowing what excellent work Gene does, asked him if he would do the cutting and stitching, and he agreed. So we got that started... and as things progressed, we were asked if we could go to Tennessee to pick up Gene's aunt's Tipi, which she was giving to him.
Well, that just seemed to line up with the Southern Bison Conference at the Lazy G ranch, so we asked Eddie and Frieda if we could have it dropped off there... well, ended up that Jason, their son had to go pick it up, and we would bring it home from the conference... I was told that the poles were 21' and after some thinking, figured we could put a roof rack on the van, and get them home that way. I ordered and installed the roof rack, and then Dad and I drove to Tn, attended the conference, and that was greatness, then we found the Tipi.
Well... best laid plans (you know the thing) the poles turned out to be 30' more or less, so because I preferred not to be stopped by law enforcement, being basically illegal to drive with that much extension over a 18' van, and there are 17 poles total, we had to think about trying to do something creative. Dad came up with the idea of cutting the poles, where we could drill and peg them back together. That sparked quite a bit of discussion and brought back in Chris P for some ideas on how to make sure they would be stable again. So not having a saw, measuring tape, or markers to do this properly, we tabled the plan till after we made the trek to Mt. Airy and picked up the socks... figured we would get it done on the way back.
Well, with the help of Jason Gaw, we got the poles marked, cut and strapped to the top of the van, then made the 1000+ mile trek back home. The plan is that when Gene finishes the big rug, we will make the 5 hr drive down, and swap the tipi for the rug.. and take the last two boxes of scrotums that I missed getting down there the first run...
So, that's pretty much the whole story, and honestly, is basically how we live our life... saying "No" to anything limits the fun you can have, and saying "Yes" sometimes leads to a lot of silliness along the way, but this is how great things happen. The plan is to have the possibles pouches ready for this holiday season, I think they are going to be great.
So, the story continues a bit... got a message from Gene yesterday. He has this ready for sale... asking $700 If you are interested, email me, will get you his contact info Ron@thebuffalowoolco.com
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