Dan O’Brien is an owner of the Cheyenne River Buffalo Ranch and the founding father of Wild Idea Buffalo Company.
As a kid growing up in Findlay, Ohio, Dan could be found playing sports or playing outdoors, investigating nature. On a family vacation to the Black Hills of South Dakota when he was twelve, he looked out the car window towards the prairie and said, “This is where I’m going to live someday.”
After earning a BA at Michigan Tech, he found his way to the University of South Dakota to study writing under Fredrick Manfred. He received his MFA and made the prairie his home.
Dan has been described by the New York Times as one of the most powerful literary voices on the Plains, and “a writer with a keen and poetic eye.” His novels include, The Spirit of the Hills, In the Center of the Nation, Brendan Prairie, The Contract Surgeon, The Indian Agent and Stolen Horses. Dan’s memoirs on falconry, The Rites of Autumn and Equinox, are intimate and revealing explorations of his life-long search for wildness on the Great Plains. Dan’s non-fiction book, Buffalo for the Broken Heart explores the history of his ranch and the conversion from beef to buffalo. It was chosen for “One Book South Dakota” in 2009. Dan’s latest non-fiction books include, Wild Idea – Buffalo & Family in a Difficult Land (a sequel to Buffalo for the Broken Heart) and Great Plains Bison.
Dan is a two-time winner of the National Endowment for the Arts’ individual artist’s grant, a two-time winner of the Western Heritage Award, and a 2001 recipient of the Bush Creative Arts Fellowship.
In addition to writing, Dan is a wildlife biologist and has been a rancher for more than forty years. He is also a falconer (his golf), and was a player in the restoration of peregrine falcons in the Rocky Mountains in the 1970's and 80's.
He made the conversion from beef cattle to bison on his ranch when he realized the largest native herbivore, the keystone species of the Great Plains, was missing. The bison would be the main tool in helping preserve and restore the prairie.
What he hadn’t planned on was the buffalo leading him to starting a meat company. He has stated many times, “I never thought in a million years that I would be a meat purveyor.” The connection of healthy food equaling healthy land or healthy land equaling healthy food was made, making his initial "wild idea" even more prevalent.
In addition to writing, Dan divides his time between Wild Idea, working on the ranch, writing, teaching ecology and writing, and public speaking. For fun, you can still find him playing outside or enjoying his grand-kids.
28 comments
Wild Idea, what A history you have. Dreams coming true at that scale is a great thing, congrats Dan.
Love the Pictures and Documentation, it’s always satisfying to feel involved with a successful dream like yours. Your Premium Ground is what’s always in my freezer last few yrs, there is none better.
Tom
Hi, I am a Kitterie. I am living in south west of France, in a mountain area called the Pyrenees. Like many French people, I discovered the Wild Idea Buffalo Company with the writing “Wild Idea”. And like many, I feel so close to the way of ranching of the company and I share your interest in prairie restoration. I hope to come and see ypur ranch someday… and also to taste your meat (incomparable for sure!). For now literature is my way of traveling: Dan O’Brien (of course), Jim Harrison, Jim Fergus and Louise Erdrich are my traveling companions! Bye Kitterie
As a new customer I love your product it’s the bison I’ve had in long time I took some to deer camp this year and everyone the brats and the sausage I made thank you for all the hard work and having a Qualty product
John Duggan
in your careful management of the land and the bison, knowing how you view the ecosystem, do you adhere to strict organic methods concerning the grasses and forbs? do you find it unnecessary to provide additives in whatever form for regeneration of the fields each year on a running basis? (thinking manure-based)
from your writings and this blog page I feel I’ve already met you, gazed into your eyes on a long afternoon stroll about the place, happy to be learning about all that you present.
a visit someday would be my honor.
Love your product and what you are doing to restore the prairie environment. Way Da Go Ehh! A fellow Husky Class of 82
Enjoyed meeting you back in March. Wishing you continued success.
I also encountered Dan first through his writing of “In the Center of the Nation”. Then I learned about the ranch and the bison and, agreeing with this concept of ranching, my wife and I have ordered from them several times over the years. It has been a wonderful distrant reflation for me and I thank O’Brien for his leadership/
I ‘found’ Dan through his writing and Wild Idea through another fine writer (Jim Harrison). I’m so delighted to find that one of my favorite authors is also the purveyor of my favorite sustainable (and tasty) meat. Thank you!
Hi Dan wondering if still do any prairie grouse hunting ?Am looking forward to reading your books and eating some bison.Interest in prairie restoration is growing and to see you doing it in that manner is great!
Thank you for all you do! Love the pictures, too. Wish we could visit, but not in the cards now.
For Rosanne Stratigakes on a budget, we’re on a budget, too…(;-) 1. Save up & get a bundle – for free shipping (Thanks Dan!) 2. Anything you add to bundles ships free, too, so add some very cost effective cuts like liver. 3. As your body adjusts to the more complete nutrition, you’ll find you don’t need as large a portion to feel satisfied so you end up spending about the same per meal…(;-) Hope that helps!.
Love the work that you do, and the buffalo.
Hi I am a Viet Nam Vet, had heart surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in 2013 and have not had beef for 41/2 years NONE. Thanks for letting be able to eat lean buffalo and still have a great treat occasionally. THANKS
Happy Father’s Day, Dan.
Keep ;truckin….
Hi Dan,
We discorved the real prairie with “Wild Idea” and we had been lucky to meet you in your ranch two years ago. The tour was fantastic and thank you for your welcome and your extraordinary bison’s bresaola: can we find your buffalo’s meat soon in France?
Is it safe to eat the Bison raw out of the package?
I hope so because it is so tasty, just like beef used to be in the 70’s! Thank you for your efforts, all of them!!