On Thursday, Nov. 7, UW-Eau Claire – Barron County hosted this year’s 10th installment of the Thursdays at the U lecture series: Northstar Bison – Hobby to Business, presented by Lee and Mary Graese.
The Graeses own Northstar Bison, a Wisconsin-based ranch that sells environmentally friendly, sustainably sourced meats, including bison as well as a variety of soaps and body care products.
Mary Graese said this business idea started as a childhood dream that Lee Graese had.
“When I was a kid, I read everything I could about the old West,” Lee Graese said. “Obviously, part of all those books was the story of the bison. I was always fascinated with them.”
Lee Graese said he didn’t realize bison could be owned when he was a kid, and he only thought they could live in zoos or the wild.
“It was my dream — one I didn’t realize I’d be able to fulfill,” Lee Graese said. “Mary’s brother told me about a sale down in Blue Mounds State Park in southwestern Minnesota, and that’s where we bought our first bison in 1994.
After the couple purchased their first bison, Lee Graese said his first question was whether he would be able to sell the meat. He decided to ask a bison raiser from Indiana.
“He said, ‘You’ll never grow your herd fast enough to keep up with the demand,’” Lee Graese said. “Graese 31 years later, we’ve not been able to grow fast enough to keep up with demand, so now we have outside producers, both here in the U.S. and some out of Canada as well.”
Lee Graese said they started their first farm just south of Brill, Wisconsin. in 1994.
“We purchased a young bull and a young heifer, and shortly after that, we brought in some bred cows,” Lee Graese said.
Lee Graese said Northstar’s business model promotes a sustainable approach to farming, as well as ensuring all animals are completely grass-fed.
“By nourishing yourself with their sustainably-raised meat, you’re not just consuming food, but also supporting a holistic approach to agriculture that respects nature’s balance and promotes your own vitality,” Northstar’s website states.
Lee Graese also said there is common confusion between bison and buffalo, and many people misidentify bison as buffalo.
“Bison and buffalo are not the same,” Lee Graese said. “How the American bison got known as the buffalo is that when the French saw them, they didn’t know what to call them. They thought they were wild cattle. They called them ‘la bœuf,’ and that got carried on, and they ended up being called buffalo, but the scientific name is bison.”
To watch the full Northstar Bison — Hobby to Business lecture, visit this link.
The next Thursdays at the U lecture will focus on trauma and occur from 12:30-1:30 p.m. on Nov. 6. It will be called Where the Battle Ends, and the Healing Begins presented by Toni Mattson.
Garrison can be reached at [email protected].
