Ranch sale revives tourism questions

Last week, the Gazette received a note from friend and McCook expat Daryl Meister, who owns the Bison Property/Project north of McCook and adjacent to the Red Willow State Recreation Area (SRA). In his note, Meister announces that he has listed the property for sale as of May 11.

Meister described the property as “a turn-key Bison project for the right person.”

There is a well-written article in the Midwest Messenger about the ranch/project that chronicles the property’s management and improvements. In addition to specialized fencing, the article describes a decade of reseeding and restoration of native grasses, as well as rotational grazing and improvements in soil health.

Since the project was launched in 2015, there have been hopes of including the property as one of the region’s tourist attractions, though those efforts have been modest. There is current signage at the Red Willow SRA and an unpaved viewing area adjacent to one of the fields, but no brick-and-mortar viewing facility and no information or guidance.

Across the Plains and Black Hills regions, several working bison ranches have evolved into hybrid agricultural-tourism operations. Rather than functioning as zoos or roadside attractions, the properties are active ranches while using scenery, wildlife, conservation branding and visitor experiences to create supplemental revenue streams. Operations like the Bison Ranch Lodge & Outfitters in North Dakota, Cheyenne River Buffalo Ranch in South Dakota, Golden Prairie Bison in western Kansas and 777 Bison Ranch in South Dakota each illustrate different variations of that model, blending livestock production with tourism, education, recreation or hospitality.

Many of those operations’ marketing experiences are built around the landscape itself as much as around the animals. Ranch stays, guided tours, wildlife viewing, photography opportunities, prairie walks and educational programming are common features. Some incorporate overnight lodging ranging from rustic cabins to lodge-style accommodations.

Others emphasize conservation, native grass restoration and regenerative grazing practices as part of their public identity. Seasonal events, outdoor recreation, hunting packages and partnerships with conservation organizations have also become part of the broader business model at some ranches, and the appeal often centers on authenticity — offering visitors a chance to experience a working ranch landscape rather than a “dude ranch”- style curated tourist venue.

The improvements identified in the Messenger article — including perimeter fencing, rotational grazing infrastructure, restored native prairie and adjacency to recreational land — are the same types of features frequently highlighted by those tourism-oriented ranch operations. In that sense, a future owner would not be starting from scratch. Much of the costly groundwork associated with conservation grazing, prairie restoration and a potential visitor experience has already been established through more than a decade of development and stewardship.

Whether the property ultimately remains a private livestock operation or evolves into something with a larger tourism or educational component will depend upon the vision and resources of a future buyer. With the right public-private partnerships and investment, it is not difficult to imagine the site becoming more closely connected to the recreational and educational opportunities surrounding the Red Willow State Recreation Area.

It would be nice to see someone give it a try.

Meister has the property listed for $625,000, which includes the herd (valued at $62,850) and working facilities ($50,000). Excluding those figures, the remaining asking price for the land itself comes to roughly $2,134 per acre across 240 acres.