Last week we took a family vacation to Santa Fe, New Mexico and one of the fun activities was touring the Pojoaque Pueblo and seeing their bison herd. The Tribal tour guides said they limit the herd to about 25 to make sure they did not overgraze or compact the soil. As compared with cattle, bison do not rip out the plant roots allowing for vegetation regrowth. Shown in the photo are three bull alpha males; the females and calves were in a secluded area of the pueblo.

Many western ranchers including Ted Turner are advocating the advantages of bison over cattle for sustainable range management and benefits to our health.