LIMON, Colo. — It started with 29 buffalo and a vision back in 1999. Over two decades later, Prairie Ridge Buffalo Ranch on Colorado's eastern plains has become the heart of a family legacy that grows stronger with each generation.
While they knew the cattle business, Ray Thieman and his wife, Debbie, took a chance on a much larger animal. They thought this alternative animal would be a way to have "more control in the market."
"We first thought about doing the elk, and we got to looking at all the issues that were involved in that and decided, let's look at the buffalo," said Thieman. "That was the best decision we ever made because I think everybody in the elk business is broke, and we're doing quite well in the buffalo business."
Last year, the ranch celebrated 25 years in operation, which Thieman explained has also come with different stages of business. Lately, he explained, it has expanded beyond a cattle-calf operation with a focus on education and showing people how the buffalo roam.
"What people really enjoy, they're in their natural habitat, where we're not going out," said Thieman. "I've been to zoos and places like that and see a buffalo herd, it's just not the same."
While the business has expanded, so has Thieman's family, with his daughter and son-in-law, Shawn and Carrie Bennett, joining in the business along with seven grandchildren.
"We couldn't do it without the knowledge being passed down from this generation," said Shawn Bennett. "Ray's been doing buffalo business for 25 years. He's been on boards with the National Bison Association, the Rocky Mountain Bison Association. Last year, he was the NBA's member of the year because of all the other new producers he's helped get into the bison industry."
A passion for buffalo also runs in Bennett's blood, as he's built a special connection with these Western legends.
"Whenever you bring somebody out here on a tour, you almost take them back to their childhood, you almost take them back 50-100 years," said Bennett. "But more importantly, you educate them about what this animal's capable of, what this animal can do, what it does for our environment, what it does for our society, the history that comes along with it, the magnitude, the magnificence."
Bennett's son, Cannan, has also joined the family operation, making him one of the grandchildren who is involved in the business. He said he helps keep the animals healthy and the fences secure.
"I always say it's a good day when you go to work with your grandkids; you can't hardly complain about that. Get to do that every day, have a good life," Thieman said.
Seeing all three out on the property, the passion is clearly multiplying, along with the dedication to inspire others about these American icons.
"It's become our life. It's intermingled our recreation, our work, it's all one thing, the family, it really is just one. It's a continuous thing that we do, so makes it really nice," Thieman said.
While it may be a drive from Denver, the family is excited to welcome visitors throughout the year. Details on visiting the buffalo can be found here.
"It's more than the teaching buffalo, it’s more than teaching ranching, it's teaching family," Shawn Bennett said.
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