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10 BISON WORLD JANUARY l FEBRUA RY l MARCH 2016

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT By Marilyn Bay Wentz, Editor

Jim Beauprez, a fourth generation Coloradoan who grew upon a dairy farm, and wife Julie operate Eagles Wing Ranch,Coalmont, Colo. e young couple is assisted by Jims parents, Boband Claudia Beauprez. Bob is a former U.S. congressman for Dis-trict 7 in Colorado and ran for governor in 2008 and again in 2014.

Dad rst started talking to me about his interest in bisonwhen we were still on the family dairy farm in Lafayette, Colo.,said Jim. I was in my early teens, but I remember telling Dad thatif we ever got tired of milking cows, I would gladly run a bisonranch.

Later, the family made the decision to sell the dairy farm. Weall went our separate ways for a few years until one day in 2007,Mom came across a ranch for sale in the North Park area of Colo-rado, said Jim. It only took one visit to gure out we found ourhome for the bison dream.

Jim and Julie live on the ranch as full-time managers. Bob andClaudia live in Lafayette, Colo., not far from where the familysformer dairy farm was located. Claudia does all the ranchs book-keeping as well as the shipping for the bison retail meat operation.Bob comes to the ranch in the summers to run the baler, x fences,work ditches and do whatever else the busy season brings.

FOURTH GENERATION COLORADO FARMER TRANSITIONS TO BISON RANCHING

I y ic scenes suc as t is cow watc ing er ca nap ave rep ace twice-a- ay mi ingEagles Wing owner/operators Jim & Julie Beauprez, Coalmont, Colo.

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BISON WORLD JANUARY l FEBRUARY l MARCH 2016 11

Eagles Wing Ranch is a cow/calf operation, raising animalsfor a grass-fed, retail bison meat operation, Eagles Wing NaturalBison. ey run roughly 150 head of breeding bison, with thenumbers swelling to well over 300 total. Animals are harvested inthe fall of their second year. Any animals not directly marketed arenished and sold to Rocky Mountain Natural Meats.

e total ranch acreage is 1,400, with

700 acres dedicated to pasture and haymeadows. In addition to raising bison,the Beauprez also produce 1,400 tonsof mountain Timothy grass hay duringthe summer for winter bison feed andretail hay sales. Other than a handfulof chickens, a bulldog and three horses,which Jim refers to as hay burners, bi-son are the only livestock.

Although bison ranching is a new venture for this family, Jim is the fourthgeneration to be involved in agriculture.Prior to dairy farming, previous Beau-prez generations have raised everythingfrom Belgian horses, to Red Herefords,to registered black and white Holsteins. As a dairy farmer, Bobwas one of the initial pioneers and proponents of articial insemi-nation and embryo transfer.

e Beauprez are only the second family to farm and ranchat Eagles Wing Ranch, said Jim. e previous ownership can betraced through the same family all the way back to the U.S. Home-

stead Act of 1862.e North Park location provides

the operation with high quality native grasses. Eagles Wing Ranch son graze ood irrigated meadowand thrive in the cool mountain air.

Mild summer days and cooevenings are the perfect recipe forhigh protein Timothy grass stem tharesults in a healthy, natural weighgain for the harvest animals, saiJim. is same hay is harvested andfed during the winter. At 8,700 feabove sea level, we are grateful thwe have the means to harvest ouown hay crop. e harsh winters andminimal county road access woulmake it diffi cult to get regular fe

deliveries!Retail grass-fed bison meat marketed and sold online at www.egleswingnaturalbison.com. Custom

ers can order individual cuts as well as reserve quarters, sideswhole carcass. In addition, Jim & Julie own and operate a b jerky business that is also available online at www.beauffalojcom.

As a young producer, Jim observes that bison will nd a wand advises newcomers to respect the intelligence, strength

resilience of the animal.With bison its not what you do with your fence to keep th

happy, but rather what you do within the fence that keeps thhome, said Jim. Our perimeter and pasture fences all haveelectric wire on the top, typically at 52 inches. It lays out a

At 8,700 eet a ove sea eve , Eag es Wing Ranc is per ect or raising ison an Timot y grass ay.

au a an o eauprez are an e y u e an m eauprez.

Continued on page 19

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BISON WORLD JANUARY l FEBRUA RY l MARCH 2016 19

Dont try this at home. . . but if you know your animals, a little playing around isgood.

point for them but if they are hungry or thirsty you can bet theresnot a fence that will keep them in.

However, once their basic needs of feed, water and companion-ship are met, he said bison are easy to care for. Bison thrive onneglect, so dont feel like you have to be a part of their daily lives.

is is a diffi cult concept to embrace, especially if you come froma cattle background. Even during calving season, dont be afraidto keep your distance while still keeping an eye on their behavior.

e young rancher also advises those considering bison raisingdo their research. Join the NBA and get a list of bison producersin your area. Tour as many bison ranches as you can so you knowwhat you are getting into. Take a good look at other ranches pe-rimeter and pasture fencing, but most importantly their workingfacility, including squeeze chute, tub, alleys, and so on.

Jim is grateful for the great advice he got early on that he stillapplies at Eagles Wing Ranch today. In addition, he advises: Ex-pect to make changes to your original game plan because regard-less of how many head you start out with, the bison will teach youhow to raise them, not the other way around. Bison have the agilityof a deer, the speed of a quarter horse and the dexterity of a bullsnake. Study and learn from their behavior!

A member since purchasing Eagles Wing Ranch in 2007, Jim

Member Spotlight, Continued from page 11

said he always enjoys attending the NBA Winter Conference, senars and the Gold Trophy Show & Sale, in which he has exhibseveral years, even winning Rookie of the Year designation in 2

(All of these resources are) very informative, and it is alwnice to catch up with familiar faces, said Jim. Also, we sequarterlyBison World as a great member bene t; it is read covercover when it comes out.