“I’m a kid from suburban Chicago — how could I be a bison rancher?”
Matt Skoglund wondered that as he debated buying land to start a bison ranch in southwest Montana. In 2018, Skoglund and his wife, Sarah, found two parcels for sale in Sedan that were suitable for growing bison. They decided to buy 791 acres, which would soon become the North Bridger Bison Ranch.
Four years later, the Skoglund ranch has 125 bison and a wealth of customers who have meat delivered locally or shipped straight from the ranch. The land is also now in a conservation easement with the Gallatin Valley Land Trust. Closing the deal was monumental for both the Skoglund family and GVLT.
Skoglund wanted to conserve the land ever since they bought it in 2018. The process from start to finish took about three and a half years. Now, it’s special to look at the ranch and know the land will be protected forever, Skoglund said.
The property sits next to Bridger Canyon Drive on the northeast side of the Bridger Mountain Range and is adjacent to another GVLT conservation easement. Wild purple lupines dot the rolling hills, which look out to panoramic views of the Bridgers and the Crazies. The ranch was conserved to keep working land in agriculture, protect wildlife, water resources, soil quality and provide the public scenic views of open space.
The Gallatin County Open Lands program and NRCS Sage Grouse Initiative helped fund the Skoglund conservation easement. Announced at the end of June, North Bridger Bison is GVLT’s 121st easement, bringing their total conserved acres to 51,939.
Working on the conservation easement was a collaborative process with the land trust, Skoglund said, adding, “I’m thrilled with how everything turned out.”
Brendan Weiner, conservation director for GVLT, said North Bridger Bison is a great property to conserve because it is both productive agricultural land and important habitat for an array of wildlife.
In addition to the bison, the property boasts sage grouse, sharp tailed grouse, waterfowl, raptors, songbirds, mule deer, moose, elk and black bears, along with important pollinators like bees, butterflies and dragonflies.
“Our land is teeming with life,” Skoglund said.
He wants the land to be as biodiverse as possible, because the more diverse the land, the healthier the bison, and the healthier the bison meat. Skoglund also just believes in promoting biodiversity in general.
Skoglund said the ranch has two focuses: raising bison as in sync with nature as possible and producing the best meat possible.
The ranch prioritizes environmental stewardship, using rotational grazing to make sure the bison don’t overuse one spot of pastureland. Bison manure helps build soil fertility as the land recovers from grazing.
Skoglund field harvests his bison meat, which means he goes to wherever the bison are that day with his rifle and kills the animal himself. This method eliminates stress for the bison compared to shipping them to slaughterhouse, which improves the quality of the meat.
Amsterdam Meat Shop west of Bozeman does the butchering, Skoglund said. The meat is all pre-sold directly to the consumer, bypassing the grocery store.
Business has been booming for North Bridger Bison meat. The Skoglunds are first-generation ranchers, “which we wear on our sleeve,” Skoglund said. He’s not going to pretend like he knows everything about ranching to his neighbors, who are multi-generational cattle ranchers.
When Skoglund started, “I knew enough to know I didn’t know very much,” he said. He pointed to having great mentors and neighbors as a reason for his success.
A bison ranch is a unique operation to build from the ground up. Only one other ranch in the Bozeman area raises bison — Ted Turner’s Flying D Ranch, which is also in a conservation easement through the Nature Conservancy.
Before bison were on their radar, the Skoglunds moved to Bozeman in 2008 away from the cityscape of Chicago.
A former lawyer, Skoglund worked at the Natural Resources Defense Council in Montana for 10 years, eventually becoming their director. Through his work at NRDC, Skoglund worked on wild bison management issues and “fell in love with the animal,” he said.
Skoglund knew he wanted to do conservation-based work where he could feel connected to the land. He wanted to do something tangible and work with his hands.
In 2016, Skoglund read an article in the Chronicle about a National Bison Association Conference in Big Sky. That article planted the seed for Skoglund to start thinking about bison ranching himself.
But it wasn’t until Skoglund read the book “Buffalo for the Broken Heart” that talked about field harvesting bison instead of using a slaughterhouse. Reading that book was an “instant lightbulb moment,” for Skoglund. He started to think seriously about how to open a bison ranch in southwest Montana.
Skoglund took a holistic bison management class in Wisconsin, started to learn more about the practice, and in 2018 bought the land that would become the North Bridger Bison ranch.
Ever since then the family has been working the land and providing local food for the Bozeman area. Now with the easement, the land will be devoid of development forever.
To Weiner, conservation manager at GVLT, the most exciting part of the easement is the Skoglund family and their commitment to conservation, regenerative agriculture, and providing local food. GVLT works often with multi-generational families who have been on farm and ranch land for generations, but the Skoglunds are unique being relatively young first-generation ranchers.
“A new, young family getting into ranching is not very common these days,” Weiner said.
“It was a great process working with Matt, and having a landowner who is so committed to conservation,” he added.
Looking out at buffalo grazing with the jagged Bridgers as the backdrop, Skoglund emphasized how special it is to know the land and surrounding scenery will be protected forever.
“It’s not something you can put a price tag on,” Skoglund said.
