Weekend Update from Buffalo Wool Co.

The latest news from Ron & T of The Buffalo Wool Co. at RATH Ranch. Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more

Welcome to the Weekend Friends!

We made it! Hope you had an excellent week. Things here are going well, just trying to keep the wheels on the wagon... literally, have to go fix the Buffalo Wagon (the van) and get it ready to head south to pick up the giant rug here shortly.

Other than that, just staying busy, trying to get stuff made. Crescent Woolen Mills is spinning more of the bison/merino wool right now for our new Sport Socks... hoping to get the prototypes to a certain NFL team soon. I think this one is gonna be a game changer for us. Did also open the last box of LG B.o.s.s. socks this week, not the best thing heading into summer, hopefully Nester can get some knitted up quickly... they have a good bit of that yarn there, and they have a very amazing operation. They do excellent work.

The big goal for this summer is to get our act together, so I can go volunteer deckhand for Sleepy Bay Salmon... up on the Copper River in Alaska, something I have wanted to do for over a year, they are great people, and will be a lot of fun. T has said I can, just have to make sure we are ready for fall first. Have gotten most of our stuff packed up for the Alaska fair already... and if you are up there and have any specific items you want us to bring, please let us know.

I hope you enjoy what we have today, grab a fresh cup of coffee and have some fun with us.

Ron & T, and the crew here at the Buffalo Wool Co.

A big THANK YOU and virtual hug to Dot W, for the super cool and very kind gift... won't be using these for mailing, getting them framed for the office here.

Truly Appreciated!

Rule #1 is Don't ask about the Bean Hole....

and yes, we have been canning our own Ranch Style and Baked Beans lately. So flipping good. and not difficult at all.

Don't Pet the Fluffy Cows!!!

Dad's Day Bundle from the National Bison Association

NBA Hat, Shirt, Producers Handbook $50

Give the dad in your life something special with the NBA’s Father’s Day combo pack! This gift is sure to impress all bison lovers by featuring an NBA hat, T-shirt, and copy of the Bison Producers’ Handbook. Dad will definitely enjoy the combo.. the book is so much good information too, even if you aren't a producer, but just a fan of bison, there is even a section written by me, dad and T...

Order Here.

A joyful story from Star Blanket Cree Nation

from CBS.CA

For a long time, the land around Star Blanket Cree Nation had been quiet — too quiet. No thunder of hooves. No big, shaggy shapes moving across the prairie. The buffalo, the ones the people had called family for thousands of years, had been gone from this corner of Saskatchewan for longer than anyone could remember.

But that was about to change.On a cold, snowy day in May 2026, a big trailer rolled up carrying something very special: 17 bison from a ranch in Alberta. The whole community had been waiting. Kids, Elders, aunties, uncles — everyone showed up, bundled in jackets, eyes wide with excitement. When the gates opened and the bison stepped out onto the 65-hectare pasture that had been prepared just for them, something magical happened. They ran. Not in fear — in pure, wild joy.

Hooves pounding the snowy ground, sending little vibrations through the earth that the people swore felt like healing. Some folks laughed. Some wiped away happy tears. One person said it out loud:“We’re finally bringing back our buffalo.”The bison didn’t just arrive — they were welcomed home like long-lost relatives. A group of young people from the community had been chosen as the new caretakers. They climbed into the trailer to help unload the big animals, talking softly to them the whole time. One of the young keepers, Austin, later said the bison already seemed calmer around the youth than around strangers. Another, Tristan, grinned and admitted, “They’re big animals… you can’t just walk them off like a horse.” But you could tell he was proud.

Ariane Starblanket, who helped organize everything, watched the moment the bison were released and felt something shift in her chest.“That was probably one of the most powerful moments I’ve ever experienced,” she said. “There were tears of joy — not just for me, but all around. For our relatives. For our community.”She smiled thinking about the future: “The herd can grow with these individuals… and they can heal together, take care of the land, and care for each other.”The project didn’t start as a big wildlife plan. It grew out of conversations about keeping the community safe and strong. Somewhere along the way, people realized the buffalo weren’t just animals — they were teachers. They carried stories, teachings, language, and a deep connection to the land. Bringing them back was about more than grass and meat. It was about healing.Now the young keepers check on the herd every day. They make sure everyone is healthy, bring food when needed, and watch with excitement as the bison settle in. They’re already dreaming about the day the first calves are born on Star Blanket land.Sharon Strongarm put it simply and beautifully:“It’s a very emotional time… We’re finally bringing back our buffalo. People can walk out their door and down the road and see them.”And that’s exactly what’s happening now.The land feels a little more alive. The kids have new four-legged neighbors to learn from. And somewhere in that snowy pasture, 17 bison are getting used to the idea that they’re not just passing through — they’re home.The buffalo have returned.

And Star Blanket Cree Nation is ready to write the next chapter together.

Steven Rinella takes you deep into the blood-soaked world of the hide hunters who invaded the western frontier in the aftermath of the Civil War, killing and skinning millions of buffalo to supply a resource-hungry nation with an untapped source of leather. From the scorching plains of Texas to the frozen prairie of northern Montana, they lived a nomadic, hardscrabble existence punctuated by raging blizzards, desperate shootouts, agonizing thirst, stampeding herds, freakish accidents, and backbreaking labor. Little more than a decade after the slaughter began, the hide hunters had transformed the once-teeming buffalo range into a boneyard.

These forgotten marksmen weren’t mythologized frontiersmen or celebrated explorers—they were displaced veterans, farmers’ sons, and wanted outlaws, chasing adventure and opportunity in a world turned upside down by violence and financial insecurity.

Their ruthless efficiency stemmed from industrial conditions unique to late-nineteenth century America: transcontinental railroads that connected the Western frontier to eastern cities, revolutionary innovations in long-range rifles, and an insatiable demand for factory belting–made from the skin of buffalo–at the dawn of the machine age. The Hide Hunters is more than a cautionary tale about overexploitation of the natural world. It is an essential chapter of our nation’s story—part survival epic, part ecological tragedy—that left an indelible mark on the American West.

Also, if you haven't read Rinella's "American Buffalo" it's an excellent read.

Get it here at MeatEater.com

Well, we are close to out of the B.o.s.s in LG, we are hopeful to see more soonish, but I don't know when. Down to the last 20 pairs of the No-show in Med as well.

Making more as fast as we can.