By Savannah Halleaux

Restaurants and health food stores are pushing the demand for bison meat, and U.P. producer Orv Kabat wants to gear up production to meet that demand. However, being environmentally conscious, he knew his farm had some areas of concern to ensure that the Great Lakes were being protected.  

Growing the herd
In its 30th year of business, Orv’s Circle K Ranch provides meat to about 30 restaurants and health food stores across the state. The ranch is home to over 250 head of American plains and Canadian wood bison, or commonly called buffalo.

GROWING DEMAND: The Orv Kabat ranch is home to over 250 head of American Plains and Canadian wood bison, or commonly called buffalo. The demand for buffalo is growing.

“We’re not very big at all. We probably process 50 to 60 animals a year, but we are growing,” Orv says. “The market is there for it. It’s just growing the herd, which is what we’re doing right now.”

Initially, the location of the ranch posed a challenge to Orv’s hopes to increase buffalo production.

“This is a unique spot right here,” Orv says. “It looks flat, but some of it actually tips east to the Munoscong River. Just a few hundred feet to the west of us, the land tips to the Pine River. You have to be cautious about what you are doing here, because it has implications for the Great Lakes.”

The runoff from the land inevitably feeds directly into the Great Lakes, which holds over 20% of the world’s fresh water.

Creating a buffer
Orv reached out to the USDA Service Center in Chippewa County for guidance and assistance to manage his livestock while protecting water sources. The Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service provided technical support and financial assistance through the Grassland Reserve Program — now the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program — and the Conservation Reserve Program.

“It is important to keep cattle out of the water that flows directly into the rivers,” says Kaye Vining, executive director for FSA in Chippewa County. “The idea is to back the buffalo off the water sources and drains that go into the watershed to prevent biocontaminants  and nutrients from leeching in.”

By planting herbaceous vegetation, buffer strips are created to slow water flow and force contaminants like sediment, chemicals and nutrients to collect in vegetation. Collected nutrients and chemicals are used by vegetation before they enter waterbodies.

USDA was involved in the process from the initial consultation followed by site visits and land management consultations for developing fencing plans, creating water system designs and inspecting construction.

The USDA programs provided cost-share to build fences, keeping the buffalo out of the watershed, and to create buffer strips between the buffalo and drains.

Other assistance
Removing the buffalo from the natural water source also qualified Orv for cost-share on an environmentally safe watering system through CRP.

NEW WATER SOURCE: Removing the buffalo from the natural water source also qualified Orv for cost- share on an environmentally safe watering system through CRP. The program provided cost-share funding for two 2,800-gallon tanks at the ranch.

“It is taking the buffalo out of vulnerable water sources and giving them somewhere else to get water,” he says.

The program provided cost-share funding for two 2,800-gallon tanks at the ranch. These tanks feature steel-reinforced concrete, wells to supply water, automatic float-valve shutoffs and anti-flow-back devices to protect the groundwater from contamination.

“All of the folks have been very cooperative,” Orv says. “We are delighted to be a part of CRP and to participate in the program.”

Circle K Ranch also participates in the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program through the Farm Service Agency for hay and pasture. This program provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops to protect against natural disasters that result in lower yields or crop losses. This program is particularly important to Circle K Ranch because the buffalo feed off the forage year-round.

More information
USDA offers a variety of risk management, disaster assistance, loan and conservation programs to help agricultural producers in the United States weather ups and downs in the market and recover from natural disasters, as well as invest in improvements to their operations.

For more information about USDA programs and services, contact your local USDA service center. To find your local service center, visit farmers.gov.

Halleaux writes for FSA in Michigan.