Jack Elliott
Rainy River District is losing one of its major farming operations.
The North End Farms Ltd. bison ranch, located in Dawson Township northwest of Rainy River, has announced it is closing the bison ranching operation.
“There will be an orderly winding down of the ranch,” said Amos Brielmann of Pinewood, Ont.
Brielmann, who runs a major cow/calf beef operation near Pinewood, has been hired to wrap up the affairs of North End by the European interests that started the operation some two decades ago.
The owners have other extensive interests, agricultural and otherwise, in southern Ontario. Changing ownership, management structure, and a review of the commercial history and viability of the bison operation are reported as the reasons for the termination of the operation.
A skeleton staff of employees remains until the shutdown is completed.
Bison roaming the fields, and sometimes the roads, have become a common sight northwest of Rainy River. At one time, the operation boasted a herd of more than 800 bison—one of North America’s largest captive herds
Brielmann said the bison will be rounded up over the next few months as they become habituated to feeding within the coral system, then shipped out.
An auction sale of machinery and equipment, originally scheduled for late October, has been postponed until next spring, he added.
At this time, there is no announcement on when, or if, North End Farms Ltd.’s roughly 8,500 acres of land and buildings also will be sold.
There is one other commercial bison operation in the district, which is owned by the Peters family in Blue Township.
