The Hangout Podcast - Episode 10 - Doug and Evie

EP 10 — DOUG & EVIE WOODALL

A Ranching Legacy, Two Generations Strong.

From five bison in 1982 in Granville to becoming immortalized on North Dakotas largest art installation on Union Silos Minot. Christine Staley & Corey Long chat & chill with Doug Woodall, owner of Big Sky Buffalo Ranch, and his daughter Evie Johnson, livestock nutrition professional and TGU school board leader. Father and daughter. Bison and cattle. Two generations building rural North Dakota.

This is our 3rd episode in honor of North Dakota State Fair series in honor of America’s 250th

You’re going to want to hear this one. New episode drops every Wednesday at 10 AM Central Time, follow us on YouTube or Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart under The Magic District Hangout Podcast.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_06 0:22

Hello, Mind, and uh welcome to this episode of the uh Hangout Podcast, The Magic District. And uh I'm Corey Long and this is Christine Staley. Awesome deal. And uh, you know, today, you know, uh Mine It just doesn't encompass everything in Mine It. What about the rural communities? I mean, and I'm talking about uh, you know, we're fortunate enough tonight, today, to have uh Doug and Evie. Uh, and uh they are two ranchers from roughly the Granville area, Granville Upham. And uh very interesting story. You know, everybody thinks about of ranching of you know cattle and stuff like that. But uh one huge difference is that Doug Woodall started uh, if you will, raising. Do you want to tell what you raised, Doug?

SPEAKER_02 1:05

Bison.

SPEAKER_06 1:05

Bison.

SPEAKER_04 1:06

Bison. Well, welcome to the hangout podcast. I mean, I'm just telling you right now, you're our first official ranchers. Right. So this is really cool. Thank you. Yeah, like this is what North Dakota is about. This is what I've heard about my whole life before I moved here.

SPEAKER_06 1:22

You know, Roosevelt. I mean, to you know, to you know, to yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:25

But this is so cool. And I it's it's a this is you're our not our first father-daughter duo, though. You're a second, right? Uh fireworks, yes, yes, yes, we had the that team on, and that was fantastic. So it's so cool to see a family together working together, and I'm excited to hear this.

SPEAKER_06 1:41

Right. So, Doug, would you just uh I guess you you you you grew up in and around Granville, correct?

SPEAKER_02 1:48

Yes, I've been there all my life, uh born and raised there. Yep. And uh many moons ago.

SPEAKER_06 1:54

Many moons ago. Matter of fact, there if I'm not mistaken, uh you graduated from Grandville High School. I did. Yeah, and they just had their all school reunion this weekend, right? Wow, yeah. In the heat. In the heat, right? Yep. Yep. Um so can you tell us? I mean, you you grew up ranching cattle. Yes. Yeah, and then how did you get into, if you will, into uh the bison?

SPEAKER_02 2:16

Uh that was uh a contribution of my father. Okay. I was down at a wedding in in Wyoming and uh he called me on the phone and says it's also bison is also slang name is buffalo.

SPEAKER_01 2:31

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:32

He says, What do you think about buffalo? I said, I think you're crazy. When I come home, there was ten of them in the grill.

SPEAKER_06 2:38

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_02 2:38

Oh, I know. So he was giving you a little hint though, right? Yeah. It's an it's uh they're a very majestic animal. Right. Uh they grow on you, and we've been doing it. Uh this is be our 52nd year we've had bison.

SPEAKER_06 2:56

52nd. Okay, so you've had them roughly since the mid 70s. Yep. Okay. Awesome. Okay. And so you you started, you know, raising the bison, and uh, you know, and you you've you've done a lot of different other things within the the bison community, if you will, with right? I mean, you've been on a couple different boards and or you want to explain that?

SPEAKER_02 3:17

Yeah, I've uh uh was part of the situation where we formed the North Dakota Bison Association. Okay. And I uh worked uh with building uh bison plant in New Rockford, North Dakota. Right. And uh yeah, I've been pretty active in it.

SPEAKER_06 3:37

Sure, sure. Sure. And then Abby, you grew up with this basically. Yeah. Yeah. And and yourself, if you want to maybe explain, I guess, your history of of ranching, if you will. I mean, you've been doing it your whole life. Yeah. And uh, but you know, um you're part of many different other things too, not just you know, the ranch life. You have a very active life.

SPEAKER_03 3:55

I do, yeah. It's kind of a jack of all trades and master of none, like Dad Unile says. We both have a lot of irons in the fire, but yeah, um, so yeah, so grew up on the ranch north of Granville and went off to college in South Dakota, got my degree in animal science and a minor in egg business. Okay. Oh, cool. And um came back and started working in animal nutrition. So now I work here in Minot for um CHS on Prairie. I was a manager of our feet division. Um and then uh my husband and I brought beef cattle back to the ranch after 20 years. Um and so uh we have three small kids. They're nine, six, and four.

SPEAKER_05 4:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:38

And so we raise cattle and goats and miniature donkeys. See those that's contributed by grandpa.

SPEAKER_06 4:46

Something that's coming back around is more goats. Yeah, yes, there is. I mean, it just isn't like you know, like you talked about it. But like I just went to um Esmond had their 125th um, if you will, anniversary. And I was just there this weekend at a big parade. Or otherwise I would have been in Granville. But uh my roots, Arnold side came from that Esmond area and uh went and saw a family, but uh it was they were talking about a lot of goats. Goats seem to be kind of making a, if you will, uh a rise again in agriculture.

SPEAKER_03 5:13

Yeah, they're you know, they're really good for cleaning up areas that the cattle maybe won't or the buffalo won't. Um, those weedy areas and pastures that are those eat anything, don't they? Yeah. Yeah. Um, but then they're a really good animal for little kids to start with. We got the goats um because we have smaller kids, and so they were really easy for them to do the chores for, really easy to learn some animal husbandry with.

SPEAKER_06 5:38

Okay, what does that mean?

SPEAKER_03 5:39

So, how you take care of the animals, how we feed them and water them every day, how we help them have their babies summer times if they're having troubles, and our kids are right next to us helping us do that. Wow. Um, and and then they get to show them. So they are coming up in 4-H and the North Dakota Junior Points Association showing beef cattle and goats.

SPEAKER_04 6:00

Okay. That's great. And that's actually our fair is just around the corner. Are they gonna be there this year? They will be, yeah. That's fantastic.

SPEAKER_06 6:07

I I've talked to you, you know, off-camera about this a little bit, but do you want to maybe give, you know, how so for competition-wise, as in like 4-H and FFA, the two different entities, and 4-H is more for the younger guys, right? Young kids.

SPEAKER_03 6:19

Yeah, you can start a lot younger into 4-H. So um you can start as a five-year-old in what's called clover buds, and you can do that for three years. It's a non-competitive part of 4-H. So they still come and they do like static exhibits, which are um, you know, they can bake, they can take pictures and put them on posters, they can create things. Right. And they still talk to the judge and present their project, tell them how they did it, but they're not getting a competitive ribbon or competitive placing for it. They're getting a, hey, you did a great job by showing up and talking to me and starting that conversation type of award. And so they do that for three years.

SPEAKER_04 6:59

That's cool. It puts them in the arena just to know that they can one day get up to that level and they'll see succession, how it will, you know, get some tips and tricks too when they want to go.

SPEAKER_06 7:09

I mean, that's kind of neat. Yeah, and a lot of you know, this is coming up next week, actually. State fair. Yes, yeah, yeah. So this is really cool. Um, so then 4-H, no, excuse me, FFA is when you actually get the ribbons and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_03 7:22

Well, and so in 4-H you still get ribbons. So once you're done with clover buds for those first three years, once you turn nine, okay, um, you become an actual 4-Her. And so then you can be competitive. So then you can get the blue ribbons, the purple brand champions, those types of things. And then FFA starts about junior high, right? Seventh, eighth grade.

SPEAKER_06 7:42

Uh city slickers, we don't really know all of this stuff. So it's nice.

SPEAKER_03 7:46

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Real city slicker, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 7:49

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 7:49

But then FFA adds on a lot of judging competitions that you can do livestock, floriculture, right, nursery landscape, um, dairy foods types of um right contests that you can do. So a little bit different, but still, I mean, they both were very big parts of my right.

SPEAKER_06 8:09

So when you're walking by the the the west or the west side of the fairgrounds over there, you know, they're the and you see the animals. These kids have put hour upon hour into raising yes, months. Yes, months.

SPEAKER_04 8:21

Yes.

SPEAKER_05 8:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 8:22

And we were just talking to Craig, yeah, the executive director. Yeah, he was talking about how the goats are really up and coming again. Yeah, you know like the hot ticket item he said.

SPEAKER_05 8:29

The hot ticket item.

SPEAKER_04 8:30

Yeah, because anyone can put them in the back of their minivan and bring them in.

SPEAKER_03 8:33

Little direct back of my suburban uh to there were But that's a real story. God, that's a real story. He wasn't making it up. Well, I'd have a picture of it, to be honest. So that was so fantastic.

SPEAKER_06 8:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 8:45

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_06 8:46

Um, yeah, so you want to uh so then after you're done with you know uh 4-H, and then you move into the FFA, like we talked about briefly, you know, then there's more the more competitive side, I guess you could say. Yeah, I mean, there's still the And I think of the video of the kid with the little pig, like mean you see the Mamiya of the kid, and you're just really like transfixed on that uh on that pig, like it's the you know, and you kind of get to know these animals pretty well. I mean, right.

SPEAKER_03 9:12

These kids spend hours and hours a day out in the barn with these animals from you know it with pigs. We don't have pigs, so we don't show pigs, but um, so we start in October when we remain.

SPEAKER_06 9:23

But right down the road, the Buckmeyers, yes, right down the road.

SPEAKER_05 9:26

We've there's some pretty darn good show pigs right down the road from all over the United States with them. Right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's like on tour.

SPEAKER_03 9:35

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, we could if we wanted to, we could be at a junior show uh-huh every weekend from probably the middle of June through the end of August. Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_06 9:46

Yeah, and I believe you last weekend you just you guys were at something pretty big too, right?

SPEAKER_03 9:51

Yeah, we were in Watford City. They do it's called the Baching Classic. Okay. It's a two-day junior show.

SPEAKER_06 9:56

Can you walk us through exactly what goes on at these at these shows? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:01

Um, so for that one in particular, uh, we go down Friday and you're there by noon to get checked in.

SPEAKER_00 10:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:08

And it's a small animal show only on Friday. So pigs, sheep, and goats on Friday. And then Saturday, it is all the species. So pigs, sheep, goats, and beef.

SPEAKER_00 10:19

Right.

SPEAKER_03 10:20

And then what's really cool is the North Dakota Stockmen's Association puts on a junior beef expo. Okay. So then Sunday is beef only show during that weekend down there.

SPEAKER_06 10:30

Yeah. And what are these, what are these judges looking for when they're good competitive?

SPEAKER_03 10:33

Like, but I mean, look from the coat to the hooves to the So they're looking for, so there's two different classes. So there's breeding heifers.

SPEAKER_06 10:41

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_03 10:41

So you're looking for confirmation, balance, um, structure of feet and legs to make sure that they're able to be be bred and hold a calf. Um, and then just femininity and presence. Yeah. Um, on the market side, we have a market steer and a market heifer classes. Those are who's gonna fill the freezer the best, basically.

SPEAKER_05 11:01

Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:02

Um, and so it's it's really fun because these kids are showing against each other all summer.

SPEAKER_00 11:08

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 11:09

And one day this one might get first and the other one gets second, and then the next day they might flip flop. Oh, how interesting. It's all it's all the judge's opinion. So it's objective day.

SPEAKER_05 11:19

It is yeah, interesting. Judges all the time.

SPEAKER_04 11:21

Each day is a different job. So it doesn't make you say, Oh, well, I'm the best always. It's like you never know. You might share the wealth, I guess, right way of like winning. That's awesome. Yeah. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_06 11:30

So I I guess moving on then, you know, back to to to bison slash buffalo, if you will. Uh, you know, what what um, you know, you started out with 10, if you will. And how how big is the ranch now?

SPEAKER_04 11:41

Oh, yeah. Let's hear this.

SPEAKER_03 11:42

Yeah, how many do you have?

SPEAKER_02 11:44

Uh oh. That's a really good question. Good question. Yeah. But approximately 700.

SPEAKER_06 11:49

Wow. What? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 11:51

Yeah. Just east of mine in here, if you will. Oh my god. 700. Not a lot of people know that. You know, that we have the one is it one of the biggest ranches in North Dakota for bison? Uh it's gotta be close. It's close. I know Doug doesn't like to brag a whole lot. That's the one cool thing about Doug, but it's gotta be up there.

SPEAKER_02 12:09

Yeah, it's uh there used to be a lot of animals in North Dakota. Right. Uh close to for 35 to 40,000.

SPEAKER_06 12:16

Okay. And now probably down to And that was roughly during the 80s when it really took a surge, right? Yeah, it was a nice okay. Yeah. There's a big ranch out by Jamestown for quite a while, too, I believe.

SPEAKER_02 12:30

Yeah. Uh the Buffalo Association, North Dakota Buffalo Association started with uh there's like five guys that had bison in North Dakota for many, many years. Yeah. One from Grand Forks, one from uh Mandan, uh Carson area, one from uh uh New Rockford and us. And uh yeah, so they all kind of come together, one from Orb by Animalist Drake, and all come together and want to start a f association.

SPEAKER_00 13:01

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 13:01

And uh we met in Jabestown at the Eagles Club down there, a bunch of us, got it all started and going and formed the North Dakota Buffalo Association, and after that we formed the uh North American Advising Cooperative. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 13:17

North American? Wow, how many members you must have now?

SPEAKER_02 13:21

Well, it was mainly yeah, there was people from uh Canada all over. Oh, that's amazing. Yeah, and uh I sat on the board that did the feasibility study to build the plant down there. And uh it's kinda ironic that plant uh was the study was made and was only supposed to kill 2,500 head a year. And now they're they can kill up to 15,000 a year. A year, yep. It used to be a little more now, but the there's not enough animals around. Excuse me. But uh yeah, we're always looking for more animals on feed to the okay.

SPEAKER_06 14:03

And uh and you worked with I've if I'm not mistaken, Lauren Anderson. He did some work too, didn't he? A little bit with Yeah, yep, yep, yeah. We had him on the podcast too.

SPEAKER_02 14:12

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, there was uh there was five of us on that feasibility study, and and uh I think there's only two of us left around. There was a a wide spread of people from different areas and generations that did that.

SPEAKER_04 14:29

So, with regards to your buffalo, I mean, where who's buying the buffalo, if you don't mind me asking? Because I'm in a restaurant business, so I'm just I'm excited to.

SPEAKER_05 14:36

Oh, you need a new sandwich called the buffalo. The buffalo? Yeah, you could yeah. Okay, yeah, it could there's potential.

SPEAKER_04 14:43

Well, I don't have a flat top grill. That's the only difference. I'm not I'm not like a shorter cook here. Yeah, I'm kind of more ready to make slicing. I mean we slice unless you have buffalo and deli slice meat, I will take it. Yeah, that could be a thing. You you know what? That could be a new item to it. We should look into that. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:57

You have to come out and see me some night.

SPEAKER_04 14:59

I would love to. Yes. And I I love buffalo burgers, I like buffalo steaks. I it's a bit bison, whatever.

SPEAKER_06 15:04

You know, I had a little incident, health scare, and I actually called Doug because I was looking for something because I you know, I wanted something lean, and Doug gave me a box of sirloin, Buffalo sirloin.

SPEAKER_04 15:14

Yeah. Yeah. No, it's fantastic. Right. Yeah. No, I I I just I find that interesting because if this is the future and people like high protein diets, let's get real. I mean, it's not like it's a lot of people. I know that, and that's the whole reason. And and so lean.

SPEAKER_06 15:28

Right.

SPEAKER_04 15:28

But I'm just wondering like, how can people find any of your, you know, products? Uh because I know the products at some point, right? You end up like selling them somewhere or finding them. Like, I mean, I don't know, are you in are you in stores? Are you in restaurants? I'd love to know.

SPEAKER_02 15:44

I own a restaurant.

SPEAKER_04 15:45

You do, so let's hear about it.

SPEAKER_02 15:47

And it's called the White Buffalo Grill and Lau. I'm Granville.

SPEAKER_04 15:51

See, I don't know that. I've never I don't leave much here. Yeah. I'm I'm right kind of stuck here. Unless you're getting catering in Granville, I'm not going that way much. Yeah. But I it's not that I don't want to go, I just I'm always here.

SPEAKER_02 16:06

Uh restaurant. Uh I always tell the story that I have I raised beef cattle until 1999. I entered a new millennium millennium beefless. Right. Yeah. Rifless. And uh uh I had some beef friends that said, Why are you raised still raising them things? They're gamey, it's tough, it's you know I like them over beef. Yeah, that's me. Yeah. And I said, You've never had a good buffalo steak or bird.

SPEAKER_04 16:33

I love that you say that because I tell it to people. If they like I don't like that, I'm like, Well, you haven't had a good one. You're judging it on something bad.

SPEAKER_05 16:39

Right.

SPEAKER_04 16:39

It wasn't prepared correctly. Exactly. And that's where people need to like change that mindset when they go to a restaurant or somewhere, as long as long as it's made well.

SPEAKER_06 16:46

Yeah, and I believe the Memorial Diner too, you supply it right. Yep. Yep. Yeah, they had this.

SPEAKER_02 16:52

Yep. I love that. Yep, yeah. And they uh uh sold this place bar slash it was just a bar and a fast food type thing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:02

Bar that had fried food and pizza turned into a family restaurant that also serves beer. And oh, so it turned I changed the turned into a restaurant that has liquor and beer instead of a bar. Or that had like has some friends.

SPEAKER_06 17:17

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I love that. So on Tuesdays, they have a two-for-one special. You come in there, you get two burgers for the price of one. Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_04 17:24

Yes. I gotta go eat here now. No, I I love burgers.

SPEAKER_06 17:28

Burgers like a food group to me.

SPEAKER_05 17:29

Burger night too.

SPEAKER_06 17:30

Tuesday. Yep, but also they like like they're like they're saying too is that they serve up a really, really good, if you will, uh, chop house. You can get steak, you can get, you know, whatever right there. I'd get a steak and a burger for me. I'd like to try both.

SPEAKER_02 17:41

We have steak, we have fish, we have chicken, we have uh shrimp, we have what else do we have?

SPEAKER_03 17:47

Uh and then just anything else, a hometown diner, what uh pasta? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 17:52

Uh I'm not a big pasta person that much. I but I I love the fact. Okay, so you guys are ranchers and you have a restaurant?

SPEAKER_05 17:58

Right.

SPEAKER_04 17:59

How do you do that? How do you question? How do you do that? No, really, like think about that.

SPEAKER_06 18:04

That's where the mass the other part, Darnell's not here.

SPEAKER_03 18:07

Yes, my mom. Yeah. Okay. She's she runs the the bar restaurant. Okay, okay, okay.

SPEAKER_04 18:13

So it's really a family. And I put her back in another. I love it. But you guys really have a nice, like, family ran system and operation setup right here. I and they got history.

SPEAKER_02 18:24

Right.

SPEAKER_04 18:24

No, this is fantastic. This is what it's about.

SPEAKER_02 18:27

Right. Yeah, they hustle.

SPEAKER_04 18:28

I mean, I just really sounds that way.

SPEAKER_02 18:30

When we first started, uh we started we had a good friend, my folks graduated with uh Dr. Myron Peterson, which was in my head here. Myron Peterson was a heart surgeon. Yep. He started doing heart bypasses and and stints, you know, and things like that. And he's telling these guys they had to get a leaner high protein meat. So guess what? We started selling quarters and halves and everything else, and we did our own processing, we did our own uh things with the hides and the heads and leather work and all that. But and then uh it just got kind of overwhelming, and then in the 90s when we all come together as a North Dakota Buffalo sociing, we kind of slowed down with that, and uh and here we are today. Wow.

SPEAKER_03 19:25

We don't do any of our own processing or anything anymore. No, okay. We take our feeder animals to the plant in New Rockford, and then from there they sell the meat you know to different disciplines. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 19:37

I bring finished product back and do the rest.

SPEAKER_03 19:40

To put in the restaurant.

SPEAKER_04 19:40

Well, yeah, I mean, you can't do every single thing yourself anymore, right? I mean, that's a lot of work. I bet you I I don't listen, I can't put anything past them. I you guys are amazing just hearing your story so far.

SPEAKER_06 19:50

I think today you guys were haying, right?

SPEAKER_03 19:52

Well are we gonna get ready for haying and checking pastures, making sure everybody's got like tubs of proper nutrition and making sure they have water because it's 100 degrees out there. Yeah, so talk about that.

SPEAKER_04 20:04

You're so you're part of nutrition. You were talking about PHS. So how exactly does that really play into the animals' care? Because a lot of people are wondering about if you're gonna compare something that's on a supermarket shelf that we don't know where it's coming from, questionable, and there's a lot of weird stuff going on. But then you have like animals that are actually taking care of well. Are there some things that has to do with either what you're feeding them or how they're raised or how you can tell?

SPEAKER_03 20:27

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 20:27

Like what exactly would you how would you tell this to the community that's listening right now? What would they have to think about?

SPEAKER_03 20:33

So a good steward is going to take care of their animals probably better than they take care of themselves, to be honest. Okay. Um, so I like I said, I work in livestock nutrition, and so I consult with ranchers on making sure that their cattle have and horses, pigs, sheep, goats, um bison. Bison all have the proper nutrition. So make sure that so right now we're on summer grazing, it's breeding season. We're making sure that they are high enough in um their essentials that they're able to breed. Like their vitamins, their vitamins and prenatal vitamins. Yeah. Certain, yeah. We have certain um certain products that we put out at certain times of the year. And so, like today, that's what we were doing. We were making sure that they had their proper lick tub with some fly control in there. Yeah, because the flood is a very good thing.

SPEAKER_06 21:30

You want to tell us what put a lick tub like city slickers again.

SPEAKER_03 21:33

Yeah, so a lick tub, it's a 250-pound steel barrel that has a molasses product in there that's all nutritionally formulated and researched um by multiple different entities and and um universities. Yeah. And it is like the one we put out today, it's called Flaxlick. And so it's our our breeding tub. It's full of omega 3s and omega sixes. Uh huh. It helps on the female side and the male side.

SPEAKER_06 22:00

Cattle.

SPEAKER_03 22:00

For the cattle. Yep. That's a good idea.

SPEAKER_06 22:03

See people not your your your city slickers don't know this stuff. Yeah. Like, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:06

And so then we also um it's got an IGR in it, which is an insect growth regulator that we put out during the summertime. Um doesn't kill flies, but it prevents the flies from hatching. Yes. Um, and so flies are a huge detriment to all livestock. Yes, yeah. So if you think of thousands of bites a day, how annoyed would you be? Would it be able to eat or drink properly? And so that takes down on their ability to perform. So they're probably not going to get bred as easy. Those yes aren't going to grow as fast. The cows aren't going to produce as much milk.

SPEAKER_05 22:41

Sure.

SPEAKER_03 22:42

There's probably irritated too. Angry. Like, I mean, come on. Yeah, it's a coffee.

SPEAKER_05 22:46

Somebody's biting me. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:47

So I stand. If you drive in the country and you see cows all herded into a big circle, one clump. I've seen those before. Yeah. They're trying to fight flies together and and create less surface area for them to bite themselves. So it keeps them kind of like in a big pile or grouped. Yeah. So there's there's a lot more to ranchers and the things they do than just put some cows out and let them grow. Right. I mean, there's a lot more, a lot more to it.

SPEAKER_04 23:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 23:16

Oh my goodness. Yeah. I know the flies have been horrendous this year. And I don't know if it's because of all the rain we got or what.

SPEAKER_05 23:21

But it's I think I want to say that it really does help.

SPEAKER_04 23:24

No, I mean the the the foliage looks beautiful out there. Yeah. I mean, they must have grass for like miles to eat, but at the same time.

SPEAKER_06 23:29

I wonder when they're gonna spray, you know, around here for the uh those subitos. Easy a week before really bad. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I I I there's a lot to ranching. And do you think, you know, Evie, obviously you've been doing this your whole life. You know, you followed suit after your your your dad and and whomever, and and you know, so that that gives you a little bit uh to me a bit more of an edge, you know, that than most people, you know, especially with the the the career path that you took. Does that also maybe help in the competition for like the 4-H and you know, FFA a little bit? I mean, to Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 24:02

Um, so with that, so I didn't I didn't show as growing up, um, show animals. I was in, I did a lot of judging contests and the static the you know, showing off my projects. But uh my husband grew up showing cattle. Okay. And so but things have changed a lot since yeah, back in that day, you know, the early 2000s when he graduated. So um, so it's been a big learning curve for both of us.

SPEAKER_00 24:28

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 24:29

Um but really it just goes back to you're gonna show an animal that you're gonna want to keep in your herd anyway.

SPEAKER_05 24:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 24:38

So our rule of thumb is we pick out our replacement heifers, yeah, and then our kids get to pick their calves that they're gonna show. And then we help them with the drunk work first because obviously they're they're not that big yet. Yeah. Um, and the calves are, so we help them with that, but then they're in charge of doing chores and making sure, and at least being out there with us when we're doing things, yeah. Um with the cattle and the goats, too. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, um, I mean, it's just the aspect of talking to people from 4-H NFA. I mean, it's been huge. Being able to lead associations has been an integral part of me growing up and are you part of it?

SPEAKER_06 25:25

Well, also, you know, it you're you are on the school board for TGU.

SPEAKER_03 25:29

I am.

SPEAKER_06 25:30

Yes, and I'm very proud that Evie's on them because I know she's an advocate. Explain what that is, Corey. She's a school board member, so she's voted in to Town or Granville, Upham. Um for okay. That's what that was the yes. There's many different things that Evie's Evie's involved with a lot.

SPEAKER_04 25:44

Oh no, no. I I I I read her bio. I know. Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_06 25:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 25:47

Yeah. And it was also, was it nutrition also?

SPEAKER_03 25:50

Yeah. So I do a little bit on the gut health side. Okay. I uh the human side. On the human side.

SPEAKER_05 25:56

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 25:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 25:57

I um I had And that's what Melinda talks about too. Yes, I know. It starts in the gut headside. Everything starts with that. Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:05

Would you talk about it with animals too? You said yeah. Yeah, please share with that. This is really important. Yes. So um six years ago, I was postpartum with my son, and I couldn't do anything. I was just in a fog and um I was chasing after a one and a half year old and a four-month-old, and I needed something to help. And one of my college friends was like, Hey, I think I think this could help you out. And so I tried it and it was it's been amazing. Um, it's called Plaxus, is the it's Plexus Worldwide.

SPEAKER_00 26:35

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 26:35

Um, and it's the original gut health company. It's been 18 years since it's been established, and it's all natural. And um, it really works on that gut brain connection. Your gut is actually their second brain.

SPEAKER_05 26:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 26:48

And so it it affects so many things. I mean, it's yeah, you know, people see, oh, it's a weight loss thing. And yeah, you you do in turn lose weight, but you also feel better. Your um, your memory is better, your aches and pains and rheumatoid arthritis are better. There's a lot of things, your skin health is better. Yeah, right. Um, and so I've kind of had that on on the side a little bit.

SPEAKER_06 27:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 27:14

And so my family's using it, my kids are using it. Um, I'm helping.

SPEAKER_06 27:18

Where can they find information that you have on that?

SPEAKER_03 27:21

So um just reach out to me on Facebook.

SPEAKER_06 27:23

Right.

SPEAKER_03 27:24

Um, I'm on Instagram, I don't use it as much, but I'm starting to more. But um, but yeah, I would love to help anybody that's struggling with anything really. I mean, there's a lot of different things.

SPEAKER_04 27:33

So is there like an assessment somebody can take, like an online quiz before they reach out to you to see if it is even right for them? Or um this way for everybody.

SPEAKER_03 27:40

So if if a person is to reach out to me, I'll send you kind of a graphic saying, hey, here are the things that are usually associated with candida or yeast overgrowth in your gut. Um, too much bad bacteria compared to good bacteria. And um, once we kind of see what the problem areas are, we can better assess which products you're probably getting.

SPEAKER_04 28:01

So you're not you're not treating anyone, you're just giving them things that could help and aid of those things. You're not being like doctor here. No, I'm not a doctor. Hey, I never was just saying I'm not saying you are. I'm just trying to make it a clear so okay. Because I I really love that there's something close to home here and I have a friend across the street, Melinda, that talked about gut health.

SPEAKER_05 28:19

Oh, yeah, yeah. No, totally. Totally.

SPEAKER_04 28:21

But I I the the fact that there's a product out there that somebody can actually use too, you know. And you were saying also with the animals, is that part with the animals as well? Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 28:29

Well, of course.

SPEAKER_03 28:30

So same what I do on the animal nutrition side, you know, making sure they have all the right vitamins and minerals to make sure that they can function.

SPEAKER_06 28:37

That's what you go to school for.

SPEAKER_03 28:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 28:39

Yes, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:40

You get to use that degree. Using that degree, Ilya there. I got that piece of paper and I'm resing it.

SPEAKER_04 28:46

Well, the reason I say that is because I love that you brought that in because a lot of people don't know where their food comes from. And a lot of people, even in rural communities, sometimes don't know anymore because it goes straight in out of the supermarket. They don't go. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 29:01

Yeah, it's just from the back room and on the shelf. That's where it comes from.

SPEAKER_04 29:04

But yeah, the reason I'm saying that is besides that factor, is that sometimes it's not safe. And we don't know that until after something happens. Um, because you have a ranch and a lot of different types of animals, how do you keep an eye on any trends happening with anything like that? Like, how does that happen or work where if something, if there's an outbreak of something? The reason I'm asking that is because I can only imagine what it would be like on a massive scale for whoever's dealing with that. Well, you guys are smaller. How would you know if something was happening or not? Like before something happened.

SPEAKER_03 29:34

It's like with our animal? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 29:36

Like, how does that because I mean, like, we're North Dakota.

SPEAKER_03 29:38

I don't know. Like so, so we're out there all the time. You know, we're checking our herds because we have different pastures, so different sets of cows in different areas. And so with the beef and the buffalo, we're out there checking them, you know, daily, every other day, making sure that their lick tubs are full, that they're, you know, maybe give them a little treat every once in a while. What's a treat for a cow? Or so it's called range cake. Oh, what? It's called range cake. Are you gonna broad summit? Oh gosh. I'll show you a video of my daughter and I was feeding our cows with a inch by hanging today. Yeah, so it's a cube, it's about that long, an inch around. And it's it's a protein supplement, is what it is, but it also has enough vitamins and minerals in there to make sure that everybody's getting what they need.

SPEAKER_04 30:22

Oh my gosh, that's so cool.

SPEAKER_06 30:24

I didn't know that I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_03 30:26

Yeah, so we uh you take out it comes in a 50-pound bag and I go and just dump it around the pasture and they come and just line up.

SPEAKER_04 30:33

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_03 30:34

So then that's an easy way for us to count head, make sure everybody's here. Yeah, make sure all their calves are there, they're walking to us so we can assess, make sure they don't have any feet problems um with the wet that's been going on lately.

SPEAKER_05 30:47

Okay, yep.

SPEAKER_03 30:48

An easy environment for foot rot to start to happen. And so we want to take care of that properly. Um, get them some antibiotics if good. Right. Um, which then, you know, so yeah, we're just your mom's there all the time.

SPEAKER_04 31:00

No, the reason I'm just asking is because I don't think a lot of people realize the the type of care that needs to be addressed with taking care of it. So people prevent that. I mean, I just that's the reason. I mean, over here.

SPEAKER_06 31:11

They go into the supermarket and they grab the pound pound of hamburger. They don't, you know, and it just that they don't see what actually took in to create that pound of hamburger.

SPEAKER_05 31:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 31:20

That that, you know, we have people ranchers out there 365 every day of the year are out there mending their kettlebell. All different lines of things.

SPEAKER_04 31:28

Weather conditions can happen, anything. You guys have to just make sure everything's okay and under control.

SPEAKER_03 31:33

Yeah, or even just you know, okay, we had a storm, make sure there's no trees down on fences and animals running them up.

SPEAKER_06 31:39

Yeah, lightning striking near near a herd or something like that. Yeah, yeah. And that does happen. It does. Yes, yeah, really. Oh, yeah, yeah. There's oh I never heard of that.

SPEAKER_04 31:48

Okay. Oh my goodness. No, it's just that's important. I like to hear that because I don't think people understand. Like you were saying, oh, they think it just grows in the supermarket. Well, clearly, nothing just grows in the supermarket, right? Right. Except prices right now. Yeah. So I'm just saying, like, I love to hear that because I don't know.

SPEAKER_06 32:04

I grew up in a on your end, so the prices have gone up in the last few years, uh, you know, for for beef, if you will. But on your guys' end, it really hasn't, has it?

SPEAKER_03 32:12

The Buffalo market's been pretty steady.

SPEAKER_06 32:14

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:15

It's growing too.

SPEAKER_06 32:16

But what I'm getting at is that there there's something going on between the grocery store and you guys that that you guys don't really have the control over. No, we don't exactly the processes are, yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:30

And that's all about that, you know, herd size. Yeah. Yeah. So the buffalo herd has relatively stayed the same across the US for quite some time.

SPEAKER_06 32:39

Right.

SPEAKER_03 32:39

We're trying to build that up so we can get, you know, it's it's a classic supply and demand thing, right? So it's very high right now. Buffalo meat's always been more expensive because of the demand. Right. But the supply's not there. But the supply is not there. And so the pricing has always been higher. On the beef side, the the herd is not growing because the prices are to the point where people aren't keeping back heifers, they're not retaining mama cows, they're calling them, which is a good practice. It has to happen.

SPEAKER_00 33:10

Right.

SPEAKER_03 33:10

But so there's not as many feeders. So there's not as much meat going into right. So that's the story behind it, too. See, a lot of people don't know that. Yeah. Yeah. So it's not just ranchers deciding I need more for my calf in the fall, is it's because there's not as much.

SPEAKER_04 33:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:28

Supply and demand. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 33:29

It makes a lot of sense. I I I'll doesn't say that's probably why a lot of chicken concepts have opened up around town. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 33:35

That's a great. I never thought of that. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 33:38

Chicken's not expensive. Chickens would how long does it take for them to grow and hatch and and then whatever. And then Nelson's and then herds take a little bit longer time, too. So if you look at it like in that aspect, right, you know, but if goat starts going and taking off, yeah, telling you. Well, there's a lot of goats and sheep meat. Oh, I don't doubt it. I love both of those. I I I'm sorry, I have to tell you, I'd a I make a mean girt curry goat. So I I am from Miami, so I like Jamaican food, and I'll make it at home once in a while. My daughter actually loves it now, which is so nice that she eats my food. What I like to make, not what she just likes to eat, but um lamb is one of those things people don't know about it until they taste and they're like, this is amazing. As long as it's cooked right. Exactly. Exactly. Because if it's not cooked right, people are just like, that is not good. Right.

SPEAKER_02 34:26

Right. Same way with bison.

SPEAKER_04 34:28

I agree with you. I agree with you. And what would you tell someone if they didn't like a medium well, a medium or medium well, they liked well done bison steak.

SPEAKER_02 34:38

What do you think the worst thing you can do?

SPEAKER_04 34:40

I know, but how do you explain that to someone? How? Because I try to explain that to people just with a regular beef steak.

SPEAKER_06 34:45

But this that's even harder because for the longest time when I did my wife, we'd always get well, well, well. And I don't know, it was about maybe four or five years. And then finally we actually, you know, ventured below it. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 34:57

It's a different experience. Different, yes.

SPEAKER_06 34:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 34:59

Yeah. Same thing, people don't realize this, but pork, there's a certain texture and and and color that to keep it tender. You're not like it's not raw, but it's like cooked up to a point where it still stays juicy. And I I don't know. Yeah, but people get freaked out by chicken. It's oh and well, chicken, yeah, you gotta cook it all the way. You know, it's almost interesting. Do you guys do any like um outreach in a community with your restaurant or anything like that, or any cooking classes or anything like that to show the beginning, middle, end of like where it comes from to where it goes and how people see that?

SPEAKER_02 35:31

I haven't. I've been asked several times, but yeah, workers are uh hard commodity to find now. Oh, I agree. Ever since COVID, I don't know what happened.

SPEAKER_04 35:42

Yeah, yeah. So do you consider yourself a teaching ranch ever too? Like you have people come out and just visit just to see like you guys do that too?

SPEAKER_03 35:50

Yeah, and if anybody's wants to come out and see the buffalo and learn more about them, we're always open to taking them out into the herds and showing them around and visiting.

SPEAKER_02 36:01

Yeah, that's pretty cool, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 36:03

Do they get to know you then? So they're not like scared of you then. Or you're not scared of them. I'm not scared at all.

SPEAKER_02 36:10

But you have to they're like a dog. If they can sense fear and a person, you know. But uh but they're the thing, main thing about it, it's all natural meat. We don't use any growth hormones or anything like that. So it's a lot better for you.

SPEAKER_04 36:27

Do you guys um have an opportunity to sell to the communities here if they wanted to buy something online? Okay, so where do people find out if they want to find out about that?

SPEAKER_02 36:38

Uh ours is usually hand up mouth. Okay. I had uh guys calling me this well, actually during the school reunion wanting to buy a quarter or a half or oh my goodness. Right.

SPEAKER_04 36:54

And when is the time to actually put those orders in or request that? Like I don't know, I'm not familiar with how that works because I'm used to the grocery store and people think it's there all year round.

SPEAKER_02 37:04

There's starting to get more processing plants again, but a lot of the smaller ones have shut down. Uh and it takes a while to get your animals in.

SPEAKER_06 37:14

Have you noticed a an increase of m mom and pop shop butchers though? Oh, yeah. Yeah, there seems to be, you know.

SPEAKER_04 37:20

Oh yeah, Destiny are in town. We've had like three of them spraying up out of nowhere. It was Carly Chunchy Sausage.

SPEAKER_06 37:25

Yeah, and then and then, you know, like in Esmond, North Dakota, they have a uh a new one um that's up and going, and they have one, you know, up in up on Alpham that opened here last year.

SPEAKER_02 37:35

Right. See, I have another little business that I design and build working facilities for animals, uh, beef, cattle, or beef and bison and zoo animals.

SPEAKER_04 37:46

Oh my goodness. Wow.

SPEAKER_03 37:47

So working facility panels, gates, chutes, containment systems, so we can humanely and safely work them, give them, you know, an ear tag or shots that they need.

SPEAKER_04 38:00

It's like a system. Yes.

SPEAKER_05 38:01

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 38:02

Yeah. Wow. Did you market that everywhere? Because that sounds like an awesome thing.

SPEAKER_06 38:08

And I like followed the unions like a couple months ago on I dug.

SPEAKER_04 38:14

Yeah, South Carolina. Yep. That's amazing. And that's an important part of it. Because if you can't do those things, you're not gonna have your herd.

SPEAKER_03 38:21

It's if you can't handle them safely, it's you can't do it. And somebody's gonna get killed.

SPEAKER_02 38:31

Did you really? Yeah, okay. I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_04 38:35

Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_02 38:39

So we're we're in uh building stages again because they relocated them. And uh so yeah, they're doing some work over there right now, just a little bit.

SPEAKER_06 38:50

Yeah, I grew up on that side of town, so yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 38:52

Oh my goodness. Well, that guys, I mean Oh, this is great. I I I didn't know half of anything you guys just told me that this is amazing.

SPEAKER_06 38:59

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 38:59

It just makes me feel better about living in North Dakota, knowing that people actually put the effort and the careing way that's a good idea.

SPEAKER_06 39:05

Exactly. You know, they actually and they they tend the fields and they, you know, take care of their animals and they you know, they they they they do their due diligence. And I, you know, I I had no idea that you guys like you said, Christine, that that that there's so much more to it than just like you know, grabbing it from a shelf and putting it on the you know on the pole. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 39:23

There's a lot of early mornings, late nights. Right. Yeah on the rancher side that yes, yeah. That you don't see if you just if you grab it.

SPEAKER_04 39:41

So like that motherly side, but then you have to have the masculine side to make sure that you know everyone gets kind of put in where they need to go. And it's like it's like I like the balance between it. Sounds like it's not an easy life. It sounds like I'm not gonna say I'm not gonna say it is.

SPEAKER_03 39:53

It's not, but I mean, I get it's a pretty great one.

SPEAKER_04 39:56

Yeah, yeah. Because I I have this dream thinking you're on horses and you're riding, you're like, come on guys, let's go. And you know what they show on TV.

SPEAKER_05 40:03

I'm I'm from I'm city slick, like you say, right? This isn't like Yellowstone, it's yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 40:09

But I mean it is dug on, hey, I've I've always been your friend.

SPEAKER_04 40:13

Do you know what's funny is that because I don't see that background of like that kind of lifestyle, but you guys telling the story today and about what you do and sharing it, like that just opens the door for me to be more excited about really seeing it now and understanding.

SPEAKER_06 40:27

So if you want to go check out a really good steak, um, check out the white buffalo downtown Granville. You can't miss it. It's on the if you will, the uh main street on the the east side of the road. I definitely want to check out you know, check out the Memorial Diner. They also serve you guys your your beef, your pad their patties there too, right? Buffalo, yeah. Yeah, the Buffalo's there. Yep, bison patties there too. Yeah, Memorial Diner. Donna, maybe someday she might be on here too, someday.

SPEAKER_05 40:51

So hey, I really love she yeah, she has a good milkshake. Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_04 40:55

Was this the one you were talking about? The breakfast? Yes. I gotta go have breakfast and then dinner. Yeah, spend a whole day. So if I got breakfast, come out to the ranch through the buffalo.

SPEAKER_05 41:03

Who's the inner? Yeah, there you yeah, yeah. Bring Corey. Not this Saturday because we're gonna stay fair to rate. Oh yeah, for you know, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 41:09

No, are you guys coming to town this this for the fair for everything, right? Yeah, I'll be at the fair from Friday through Saturday. Uh and you well, you has your kids' canvases, yeah. If you ever come back and come have some ice cream with them, I'll give them some ice cream. Yeah, this is a good fun place for kids. Yes, yeah. We have video games in the back too. I know I know they're young. I have young kids too.

SPEAKER_06 41:28

Yeah, that's what she kind of created it for.

SPEAKER_05 41:29

I mean, back there to the it's uh freaky is like Jade's buffet belt back in the day. Yeah, I gave it the retro games in the back.

SPEAKER_04 41:35

You can't see them, but they're all back there, yeah. And just you know, it's a nice place to get away if they need to take a break, because I know it's hot in those barns. I've been. We were talking to Craig. His favorite animal is the goat, and that's why I asked. Yeah, like bring him in a, you could bring him in a minivan, apparently, and then a truck.

SPEAKER_05 41:50

Yeah, she's right, yeah. Yeah. All right. Well, oh my gosh, well, thank you guys so much.

SPEAKER_04 41:54

I appreciate it. And um, yeah, Corey, anything else?

SPEAKER_06 41:56

No, that's it. Christina, if you want to close her up.

SPEAKER_04 41:59

Yeah, so I want to thank Evie and Doug and Corey Long. Of course. Stanley. Stanley. Stanley. Oh, you said Stanley. It's okay. I'm not mad. Everyone calls me Stanley Staley. Who cares? Um, anyway, I just want to say thank you to Mine Out in the community, our listeners. Please keep supporting us. Support these guys over here. Did you have any websites or anything people can follow, by the way?

SPEAKER_06 42:21

Is that anything? For gut health, Evie, you want to give a shout-out to the show.

SPEAKER_03 42:25

Yeah, yeah, our time. Facebook and Instagram. And what is it called again?

SPEAKER_04 42:29

Like the name of the time. Evy Johnson. Okay, so it's just your name, guys. We'll put it down below. And then also I'm gonna thank uh Main Street US uh America, excuse me, and America for the grant. And then I want to just say thank you guys and we'll see you next week.

SPEAKER_06 42:43

See you guys.

SPEAKER_04 42:44

Bye.