A Message From the President
March 1, 2022
Hello DTBA Members!
I wanted to send out a big thank you to all of you that came to the 2022 Dakota Territory Buffalo Association Winter Conference, and especially to all of you who helped execute it. We had a very unfortunate and unforeseen loss early in the year that made it difficult at times to tie everything together. However, the board of directors put their heads down to get things done, and we are lucky enough to have wonderful people in the DTBA family step up to take on tasks that weren’t their responsibility and still make the conference and sale a success!
We had a very productive and interactive business meeting on Saturday where the board worked to line out the upcoming year to ensure that all our members continue to get value from their Association. Board members Alex Heim and Greg Nott were both at the end of their current term and up for a possible second term. Alex was nominated and voted into a second, three-year term while Greg decided to step down and focus on his own business. This left an open position on the board of directors, and a vote by the general membership selected Jim Degenstein to fill that spot (please see his bio below).
Finally, I also want to introduce to you your newly elected officers. Serving another term as President is myself, Liz Schroth, with Vice President Bob Wesley, Secretary Kris Brown, Treasurer Alex Heim, and Chris Seivert and Jim Degenstein serving as your two directors at large.
As always, thank you again to our membership, which makes the DTBA such a strong and dedicated organization. We are all looking forward to a great year with some new things to offer all members.
God Bless!
Liz Schroth
Meet Your New Board Member, James Degenstein!
Hello! My name is Jim Degenstein of Berthold, North Dakota. I am married to Teresa with two adult sons, Julian and Alex. Julian is married to Nicole and my Granddaughters are Cheyenne, Elsa and Grace, all of whom are involved with 4-H and an assortment of animals.
My wife and two sons have all assisted with our new start up bison operation, although I was in the bison business before from 1997 to 2006. I remember starting in 1997, with the 1st heifer calves that year, and bison became a part of my soul from that day forward. After that, I spent 16 years pursuing two different careers and visiting every bison operation within the 7 different states we lived in. In spring of 2018 we had an opportunity to purchase some land at home in North Dakota, and in the spring of 2019, we decided to build our forever home on that property. My oldest son had built down the road from us a few years earlier and that spring the house and pasture below us, that I was originally planning to rent, came up for sale. My youngest son will now live in that home.
This past fall of 2021 we jumped back into the bison business. We installed a corral system and handling facility, drilled in waterlines and waterers, and brought home 20 bred heifers and a 3-year-old bull. We have since purchased a top 5 DTBA Young Guns bull and secured additional pasture to expand yet again. I am so excited to be to be a part of this industry again and very excited to be a part of the DTBA board. I work full time for Trane Technologies as a Region Manager Factory to Distribution Rep., but I am looking forward to serving the membership of the DTBA!
Jim Degenstein