A pioneering spirit: Lakeland’s first bison SMF unit helps bring the herd home

Each year, a key part of being a member of the Student-Managed Farm – Powered by New Holland (SMF) team at Lakeland College revolves around succession, with students taking the reins from the previous SMF unit and leaving something for next year’s unit to build on.

It’s the first year for a bison SMF, however, which means every decision they make is a first for Lakeland and sets up a legacy for future bison SMF unit to follow. It’s a responsibility that the five students who make up the first bison SMF unit are intensely aware of.

“It’s been a challenge,” says Ben Schmalzbauer, a member of the bison SMF and second-year animal science technology (AST) student. “Being a new unit with a different species, we don’t have anything just laid out in front of us.”

Bailey Ferguson, the bison SMF leader and second-year AST student, agrees, saying, “It’s a very cool feeling to be involved in the first year of the SMF. You get to be a pioneer of the program and create a solid foundation with clear guidelines for the future.”

Whether the students are calculating the nutritional needs of the bison, setting up the paperwork to monitor their progress, or choosing replacement heifers, every decision they make sets the stage for future bison SMF units.

And for this year’s unit, one of the most important parts of setting up future bison SMF units for success was getting the herd onto campus land.

Bringing the bison home

The idea of starting a bison herd at Lakeland College began in 2020 with a $4 million donation from Rita and Armin Mueller, bison farmers and owners of Canadian Rangeland Bison and Elk, who hoped to invest in the future of bison production in the region at the post-secondary level. Those funds covered the purchase of both the bison themselves and the land upon which they would live.

Lakeland acquired that land – eight quarters located 20 minutes south of Vermilion – in January 2023 and plans were made to bring the herd home.

“There were some challenges,” said Mike Pyra, a second-year AST student in charge of animal care, animal health and reproduction on the bison SMF. “It’s not easy to bring 200 head of bison all the way here. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s good to have them home.”

The first group of bison arrived on Jan. 30 and the entire SMF unit, as well as a handful of other animal science technology students, gathered on the new land to watch the herd arrive.

“It was awesome, I was in awe,” says Pyra. “It was really cold but you didn’t notice it because everyone was so excited to see the bison finally arrive.”

“It was so amazing to see the bison finally get their feet on college property,” Schmalzbauer adds. “I’ve been waiting from day one to see that happen and it finally did. It just brought so much warmth and joy to my heart. We can’t fathom how great that feels.”

Expanding the Student-Managed Farm

Geoff Brown, dean of Lakeland’s School of Agricultural Sciences, is pleased to have the bison herd home.

“It’s been a long process and we’re really excited about it,” he says. “It makes it real for the students and really exciting for everybody involved.”

Adding bison to the curriculum has been an exciting challenge for faculty as well.

“It’s another species that our students wouldn’t previously have learned a whole lot about,” Brown explains. “We have always incorporated it into our more generalized livestock classes, but having the bison herd here allows us to specialize more in that species and production system. Giving our students an actual unit to manage is really important to building production competencies and also promoting the bison industry to students who may not know anything about it.”

Now that the bison SMF unit is busy working directly with the herd, monitoring and conducting their own health checks and inspecting the new bison handling facilities, Ferguson hopes more students join the SMF team in future years.

“It’s neat that Lakeland has bison on their farm now,” she says. “It adds more knowledge within the Lakeland community and also brings in new students that want to experience working with them.”

“I hope it grows,” Pyra agrees. “We need more people in bison production. It’s an untapped industry and bison offer a unique experience compared to beef. They’re much more hands off and they’re more fun.”

Photos: Top–Bailey Ferguson watches the bison arrive. Middle–The bison explore their new home. Bottom–The first Bison SMF unit.