A spark of inspiration at the 2009 Minnesota State Fair led Stark Township farmers Elizabeth and Craig Fischer to become curious about creating a bison ranch.

The Fischers got an unusual wedding gift in 2013, a bison cow, with an agreement they would buy another bison from their mentors at the Big, Shaggy Buffalo Farm near Byron. The agreement was created to honor the species’ herd nature.

A few weeks later, they bought more bison at the annual Minnesota Buffalo Association Auction in Albany.

“I spent Black Friday sorting buffalo. My wife shopped in St. Cloud. It snowballed from there,” said Craig Fischer who now operates Sleepy Bison Acres south of Sleepy Eye.

Free range chickens roam on the farm. Photo courtesy of Craig Fischer, Sleepy Bison Acres

After their honeymoon, the Fischers built fences and created a vertically-integrated operation producing bison, corn, soybeans, small grains, pasture-raised pigs, egg-laying chickens, guinea fowl, and pasture-raised turkeys and broiler chickens.

“We were told, get big or get out. We decided we should get different, raising our own food with healthier options,” said Craig Fischer. “Our goal as land managers is to regenerate the land for our own health as well as the benefit of future generations. We discovered we can regenerate our land and produce great tasting, healthy food from happy animals at the same time.”

Before long, the Fischers had dozens of bison, the biggest herd in this part of Minnesota, creating Sleepy Bison Acres, now home to the fourth and fifth generations of the Alfred “Fritz” Fischer farm.

They use rotational grazing, cover cropping, and no-till farming.

The Fischer’s bison roam their pastures and graze like they did long ago. Their pigs are pastured in the woods. Their chickens produce orange-colored eggs as they forage as they please through the yard and pasture.

Most of their grains used for the animals are their own grown non-gmo crops.

In 2022, they installed the area’s first subsurface drip irrigation system that allows them to apply water directly to plant roots. The system allows them to use less water, chemicals and fertilizer.

Sleepy Eye Bison Acres hosts field days, school groups, 4-H clubs and annual customer events. The Fischers sell at markets in Mankato, Prior Lake, and St. Paul.

The Fischers talked about what they’ve learned from bison.

“If they start grunting, you are in their space,” said Elizabeth Fischer.

Their bison enjoy munching on alfalfa.

“They get excited when the weather changes. It can be tough to move them ahead of a thunder and lightning storm,” said Craig Fischer. “We learned there is always a hierarchy. We learned to respect them just like people. Patience is probably the biggest thing they taught me. You can get a bison to go anywhere it wants to go if they think it’s their idea. That can work with kids too.”

He said tariffs affect the bison industry because a good share of bison producers are in Canada, but a lot of bison consumption is in the United States.

Elizabeth Fischer operates Sleepy Eye Bison Grill, a food trailer serving farm-fresh bison at state fairs, rodeos, powwows and business events across the Midwest. Customers can buy from their website or partner stores.

Craig Fischer said he and his wife were the second food trailer serving bison meat in the United States when they began that business last year. Their food trailer stops include fairs, private and public events including Oktoberfest in New Ulm, Mankato Farmers Market, and larger events in the Twin Cities including the downtown St. Paul, Minneapolis and Prior Lake Farmers Markets, the Lake Nakomis are in Minneapolis.

“We’ve got about 100 bison now. We’re still growing. If we can find more animals, we could find a market. We have shipped bison to both coasts, Texas and Arizona. Our food trailer has a lot of potential because we get in front of so many people,” he said.

The Fischers also market bison tallow that is becoming popular for adding cooking flavor and can be used as a substitute for butter or other cooking fats in addition to skin moisturizing properties.

Elizabeth Fischer leads the Stark Happy Hustlers 4-H club. The family is involved with Stark youth baseball.

The Fischers were early adopters of the Minnesota Ag Water Certification Program, a voluntary opportunity for farmers and agricultural landowners to take the lead in implementing conservation practices that protect our water. Those who implement and maintain approved farm management practices are certified and in turn obtain regulatory certainty for 10 years plus specially-designated technical and financial assistance to implement practices that promote water quality.