Heartland Bison Ranch
December 12, 2019
Get to know Heartland Bison Ranch as one of the host ranches for the DTBA Performance Classes, currently hosting the Breeding Bulls for the Young Guns Competition!
Leier Family
Ranch owner/manager:
Lee and Rebecca Leier, and Kevin & Anne Leier
Ranch location:
Heartland Bison Ranch is located 21 miles south of Rugby, ND, which is the geographical center of North America. This part of Southern Peirce County is comprised of rolling hills, trees, and small lakes and ponds. The native prairie grasses and semi-arid climate make for great bison country!
Year you started in the buffalo industry:
Heartland Bison Ranch started in 1996 with our first calves hitting the ground in April of 1997.
Genetic influences:
The original cows at Heartland Ranch came from Durum, M-line, and Custer bloodlines. From that point, top performing females were retained from the 3 different herds that we run. Most of our bulls have come from top performing bloodlines in the industry such as M-line, Cornhusker, Sheyenne River Bison, Skull Creek, Silver Creek, Bison Spirit, and Cammack Buffalo Ranch.
Special attributes and awards:
Heartland Bison Ranch has participated in the DTBA Black Hills Buffalo Classic Show and Sale, performance tested class, and the National Bison Association’s Gold Trophy Show and Sale where our animals have repeatedly placed and/or made the sale cut. We have also been actively participating in the DTBA performance tested classes as a host ranch for the past 5 years. We also purchased the top 3 bred 2-yr old heifers from the first-ever Girlz Going Wild class, as well as some of the very best bulls the class has seen come through.
Why we have chosen to enter the DTBA Performance Classes:
We chose to participate heavily in the DTBA performance tested classes because of the validity of the program. We have hosted both the heifers and bulls at our ranch and can speak to the quality, transparency, and depth of commitment that the host ranches, the DTBA, and consigner have to making sure these classes are the best that the possibly can be. Over the last 5 years, the number of animals we have put into our own herds from this competition have made big improvements to the efficiency and uniformity of quality coming from our ranch. In our opinion, this is the best sale in the United States for top-end breeding stock that comes from a proven program. The overall process is a great way to continue to build reputations for ranchers across North America, both by consigning and buying.