Testimonials

The following testimonials are from current National Bison Association members.
Updated July 2016

I have been a member of all the former named associations for 30 yrs.  It has been the most valued and useful tool in my tool kit.
– Joe Pellar, WY

Just wanted to say thank you for organizing this [NBA] workshop. My wife and I were very glad we took the day off and made the drive to attend. We learned a lot. The materials are very comprehensive and useful. Having The workshop on a working ranch adds to overall experience.
– Kane Radel, WI

The NBA through the Bison World, it’s other publications, and the weekly update provide education and current info that otherwise would not be available.   Also, the member directory provides hundred of contacts for me when I have a question or a new challenge in raising buffalo.  The GTSS provides a tremendous service for both buyer and seller. Without the NBA I doubt I would be raising buffalo!
-Vance Forepaugh, Medicine Wheel Ranch

I will keep this simple:
Love the magazine
The want ads have worked very well for me. I have bought and sold through this process.
The access to recent sale information is very valuable.
We get access to what is happening across the nation, not just here locally.
-James Stepp, Wichita Buffalo Company

Growing up on a ranch, I was not cognitive of just how independent the average livestock owner was until later. I had to get “out in the world” and see life for myself. Although I applaud and hold in high esteem the fortitude it takes to survive in agriculture, I have learned the strength found in numbers is immeasurable. In today’s world, it is nearly impossible to keep abreast of all that a successful rancher needs to be aware of. By the time you get done researching new products, methods, reading the news and figuring out how it will affect you, the day is gone. This is where the National Bison Association comes in. The NBA is my faucet that pours out information, news, notices and keeps me in touch with everything important to my operation. It does not matter if you have 500 head or 5, the NBA is your voice. Who else but the NBA goes to Washington to fight against or for legislation pertinent to success?
Very few people, myself especially, can afford the time and finances it takes to travel and fight for the bison industry every time it is needed. I, for one, am glad I have the NBA on my side. I remember from awhile back a phrase that has stuck with me, “Knowledge is power.” And although it took some time to sink in, I now realize just how true that is. Imagine a judge making decisions and handing down rulings without having all the information. We all have known or experienced what happens when decisions are made without facts and truths being brought into play. The NBA is my personal lifeline to information, contacts, news, and all things bison.
I ranch because I like the lifestyle. The freedom and independence is priceless. Yet at the same time, I have a web of people in the business I can reach immediately. Whether it is for information or maybe even help working a herd, the NBA is my safety net. It is hard to measure how important the NBA is to me and my operation. ALL ranchers gamble with stakes and odds that would drive Vegas crazy. For myself?, not having the National Bison Association on my side is one gamble I will never make.
-Zane E. Holcomb, Holcomb Buffalo Ranch, Buffalo, SD

Thanks for all your hard work, NBA! It’s reassuring knowing we have such a motivated and well organized group looking out for us producers!
-Amy Dunn Billings, The Buffalo Lodge

Our experience with the NBA began in 2009.  While continuing our research that began in 2006, we finally found a web site that provided information about all aspects of the industry.  After reading and absorbing every link of the website, we were truly inspired to pursue a life with Bison.  The need to speak with someone who actually raised bison became the next step.  So I called Jim Matheson and joined the NBA.  Jim was able to provide even more information about the NBA including the offer to speak with the president at the time, John Flocchini.  I emailed John and even with his busy Spring schedule, he emailed us back within a day or so.  Many emails later, we had enough information to comfortably commit to a career with Bison.
We now own a small acreage ranch raising Bison, sell Bison meat at the local farmers market, and have even begun to breed the Bison to increase our herd.  The NBA has been an invaluable source of information, marketing products, inspiration and continued support. Without the help of the NBA and its members, none of this would have been possible for us. 
Our sincere thanks to the NBA.
-Jeff and Tracy Herrick, JT Ranch/Black Rock Bison

Jim, in regards to the Trading Board. I was contacted 35 times on the first day of posting the ad.
-Glenn Fenner, Bison Hollow Farms, LLC

Let’s put this right up front, I’m a novice bison rancher and in fact I’m a novice rancher. I was looking for resources to help me develop a profitable ranching operation, specifically ranching bison. I did not have years of developing contacts in the industry and I knew without that my operation would grow far slower than I wanted. I joined the National Bison Association (NBA) primarily to educate myself about bison but I quickly learned I now had a ready resource of experienced bison ranchers willing to help an novice rancher achieve my goals. Thanks to the NBA and the contacts I’ve made with bison ranchers who are NBA members such as Jeff Miller of Diamond Mountain Ranch, my ranching operation is well under way to achieving my goals. My ranching mentor, Jeff Miller, and I use the resources of the NBA to improve our herds and market our products to our customers continuously. This is a “No brainer, join the NBA and grow your herd!”
-Chris Silver, Gold Coast Bison

Within the first 4 hrs of (the Trading Board) ad appearing, I literally had 100 phone calls and e-mails, and 1/3 we’re positive buyers.  Sold herd in the 1st hour.  Indicates to me, the buffalo business is alive and well.  AND that the NBA classifieds are VERY effective.  I am going to continue my membership indefinitely.  
-Joe Pellar, Twin Buttes Buffalo Ranch

Hello Jim,
Could you please discontinue our advertisement for the bed cows and trophy Bulls? We sold everything thanks largely to the add. It was very helpful!! Thank you for running the ad. Your classifieds section helped us greatly in selling all the bison we had for sale this fall. I think one thing that makes it most successful is that you send out the email to everyone when it’s first posted. That certainly draws people’s attention right away.
-Aaron Paulson, The Snowcrest Ranch

Three years ago, my husband and I began researching the possibility of becoming bison ranchers as he was nearing retirement. The general information available on the NBA website was vast and practical. We became members of the NBA as we continued researching bison ranching as our retirement vocation and were able to take advantage of on-line training, national conferences, and became aware of state & regional associations offering additional courses. The willingness of the NBA Staff and ranchers from around the country to answer the most basic of questions to problem-solving specific challenges we have encountered has been of tremendous value. Such a wonderful, supportive group of people have assisted us in our transition from city-dwellers with professional careers to rural bison ranchers starting meat sales in our area. Without the sharing of knowledge at every level, this venture would never have been possible.
-Beth Toups, Red Gate Ranch

My husband and I joined several years ago before bison ownership became a reality.  We used the online training, Bison Quarterly and Bison Producers Handbook to decide if owning bison was something we could handle.  Neither of us have a background in livestock having spent our work careers in desk jobs.  Through the NBA we learned of the Michigan Bison Association and met local bison owners.  Another couple in Michigan became our “bison mentors” and we bought 4 cows and a bull from them last year.  We welcomed two calves this year.  Having the resources of the NBA has also put us in touch with other bison owners that aren’t located in Michigan.  Recently we bought the Field Guide and Portraits of the Bison by Wes Olson.  Those publications will be terrific reference guides for us.
We feel that the NBA is a tremendous source of information.  Your team has always been very responsive to questions.  We couldn’t have become bison owners without the NBA.  Thank you!
-Nancy Carter, Banfield Bison