our story
Hello! We are Jeff and Tracy Herrick, and this is our story of how Black Rock Bison was born.
In all of our lives, there comes a point when we begin to follow a sense of direction that may not easily be explained.
And we have always preferred a life filled with direction and purpose. This story begins in 2004, on the couch, watching the movie Lonesome Dove with our son who was just 8 years old at the time. As the movie unfolded, it was evident that many different messages were being delivered about the ways a person can decide to live their life. We had always raised our son in a manner that taught many of the strong virtues that were portrayed in this movie. Inspired by this theme, we decided to change our lives and move to a property that would support a small ranch. This change offered some elbow room, the opportunity to own horses and enjoy trail-riding, and ultimately, to teach our son about having goals and the discipline it takes to achieve them.
Meanwhile, Jeff had discovered that he was challenged with a family history of high cholesterol. With this new knowledge, he really started to watch what he was eating. Deciding to avoid the vicious circle of medication, he started to research ways to continue to include red meat in his diet without compromising his health. The answer was clear, BISON. Reading everything possible and talking with professionals, he connected with the President of the National Bison Association (NBA) and owner of the Durham Ranch in Wright, Wyoming - John Flocchini. The Flocchini's expertise and devotion to the bison industry fueled us with the courage to move ahead. With all of this new found knowledge, and after MANY discussions, Jeff said, "I think we can do this, what do you think about raising bison?" Tracy looked like a deer in headlights. Owning horses had made most of their 'city' friends look at them sideways....now they were talking about raising bison??? Tracy wasn't so sure. After a short pause, Tracy said aloud, "Sure, honey."
And so, in 2011 we were the proud new owners of two baby bison! Our herd had grown and lead us to our first harvest of all-natural, grass-fed bison in January of 2015 - and so the beat goes on.
We are thankful for the lessons we have learned along the way, the new friends we have met who have imparted so much valuable information and camaraderie, and of course, the Buffalo Gods.
We hope that you will discover all the incredible health benefits that bison has to offer!
- Jeff & Tracy Herrick
In all of our lives, there comes a point when we begin to follow a sense of direction that may not easily be explained.
And we have always preferred a life filled with direction and purpose. This story begins in 2004, on the couch, watching the movie Lonesome Dove with our son who was just 8 years old at the time. As the movie unfolded, it was evident that many different messages were being delivered about the ways a person can decide to live their life. We had always raised our son in a manner that taught many of the strong virtues that were portrayed in this movie. Inspired by this theme, we decided to change our lives and move to a property that would support a small ranch. This change offered some elbow room, the opportunity to own horses and enjoy trail-riding, and ultimately, to teach our son about having goals and the discipline it takes to achieve them.
Meanwhile, Jeff had discovered that he was challenged with a family history of high cholesterol. With this new knowledge, he really started to watch what he was eating. Deciding to avoid the vicious circle of medication, he started to research ways to continue to include red meat in his diet without compromising his health. The answer was clear, BISON. Reading everything possible and talking with professionals, he connected with the President of the National Bison Association (NBA) and owner of the Durham Ranch in Wright, Wyoming - John Flocchini. The Flocchini's expertise and devotion to the bison industry fueled us with the courage to move ahead. With all of this new found knowledge, and after MANY discussions, Jeff said, "I think we can do this, what do you think about raising bison?" Tracy looked like a deer in headlights. Owning horses had made most of their 'city' friends look at them sideways....now they were talking about raising bison??? Tracy wasn't so sure. After a short pause, Tracy said aloud, "Sure, honey."
And so, in 2011 we were the proud new owners of two baby bison! Our herd had grown and lead us to our first harvest of all-natural, grass-fed bison in January of 2015 - and so the beat goes on.
We are thankful for the lessons we have learned along the way, the new friends we have met who have imparted so much valuable information and camaraderie, and of course, the Buffalo Gods.
We hope that you will discover all the incredible health benefits that bison has to offer!
- Jeff & Tracy Herrick