Bad River Ranch
Ranch Manager: Dusty Hepper
Located in central South Dakota, Bad River Ranch comprises approximately 148,000 acres of diverse grassland with rolling hills. The Bad River runs through the property; the mouth of which is where Lewis and Clark met the Teton Sioux.
The ranch is situated in the mixed grass prairies of central South Dakota and plays a crucial role in bison production and conservation. Recognizing its historical significance for bison and various wildlife species, the property was acquired with the aim of restoring range conditions and conserving native and endangered species alongside bison production. Bad River Ranch boasts one of the largest bison herds in South Dakota, emphasizing ecological and economic sustainability.
The main breeding herd for Bad River Ranch is a non-weaning group that currently consists of 1,400 breeding females with plans to grow to 2,200 head in the future. The ranch also supports a grass finished operation consisting of stocker heifers and young open cows.
Bad River is holistically managed for production and bison are adaptively grazed year-round through 71 permanent pastures and a multitude of temporary paddocks. To reclaim conventional no-till farm fields, extensive work has been done utilizing poly culture cover crops and high intensity, short duration grazing strategies. This is done with the use of portable water tanks and several temporary single strand reflective poly rope fences.
All ranch employees are trained in low-stress livestock handling techniques which are implemented during every interaction with the bison. This allows for increased flexibility in all our adaptive grazing systems.
Photos: Courtesy, Chad Coppess.
For more information on outfitting opportunities, please contact Mike Mader:
Contact: Mike Mader
Turner Ranch Outfitting
Phone: (575) 740-2241
Email: mike.mader@turnerranchoutfitting.com
