Learning in the Field: Tanka Fund at the NBA Northern Summer Regional Conference
The National Bison Association’s Northern Summer Regional Conference (August 29–30, 2025) at Custer State Park and Kremer Buffalo Ranch brought together ranchers, researchers, and restoration leaders. Tanka Fund’s Rachel Hunter and Janét Moore attended, taking part in sessions on fencing, body condition scoring, grazing practices, and agritourism. The event featured Buffalo chili and hotdogs for lunch, a blanket presentation to Chad Kremer, and a wagon ride tour to see the herd while learning about evolving management practices. The conference reinforced both the importance of community knowledge-sharing and the practical tools ranchers can carry forward — including body condition scoring and swath grazing, which align with Tanka Fund’s ongoing work.
5 Key Points
Practical Learning: Presentations covered fencing (Emily Rohrer), body condition scoring (Angie Lemminger & Dr. Jeff Martin), swath grazing (Tim Martin), and agritourism (Stacey Hadrick).
Hands-On Knowledge: Attendees learned how to score Buffalo condition (average score that day: 3.5), providing tools to better monitor herd health.
Shared Meal: A Buffalo-focused lunch of chili and hotdogs built community among participants.
Recognition: Tanka Fund honored Chad Kremer with a blanket for his mentorship and collaboration, and donated two more blankets for the DTBA auction.
In the Field: Wagon rides offered firsthand views of the herd, with insights into management changes such as keeping calves with their mothers to strengthen family groups.
Read longer story here below.
On August 29–30, 2025, the National Bison Association hosted its Northern Summer Regional Conference at Custer State Park and Kremer Buffalo Ranch in Rapid City, South Dakota. It was a gathering place for seasoned ranchers, newcomers, grazing experts, and restoration leaders to share knowledge and strengthen community. Representing Tanka Fund were our Operations Manager Rachel Hunter and Range Ecologist Janét Moore.
Morning Sessions: Fencing, Body Score & More
“It was a beautiful day at Custer State Park,” said Janét, and the weather matched the energy of the conference: bright, full of possibility. One of the first presentations came from Emily Rohrer, SD NRCS Range Management Specialist, who spoke on bison fencing and wildlife friendly fencing considerations.
The morning then shifted to animal health. Angie Lemminger of SDSU, who works with Dr. Jeff Martin, presented on bison body condition scoring.
Rachel explained: “To score Bison – you will want to look at their Whole Body, Ribs (how many can you see?), the Spine, Hip (or Rump), and top of their tail. You can score each of those parts 1–5, then do an average to get the total. The Buffalo that we scored out to CSP was about a high 3.5.”
Janét noted how the session connected directly to Tanka Fund’s work: “There was another informative talk by SDSU’s Angie Lemminger on bison body condition scoring. She works in the lab of a leading bison researcher, Dr. Jeff Martin.”
The Martin family’s involvement didn’t end there.
“Dr. Martin’s dad, Tim Martin, gave a terrific presentation on their bison herd and his experiences with swath grazing on highly erodible land in the driftless region of Wisconsin,” Janét said.
Rachel also highlighted a different perspective: “The presenters were Stacey Hadrick, she discussed Agritourism and shared a personal story on launching her own Air BNB in the middle of South Dakota and it’s doing well.”
Midday: Food & Recognition
As conversations continued, attendees gathered for lunch. True to the theme, the meal featured Buffalo chili and hotdogs.
Janét Moore, Tanka Fund range ecologist, presents Chad Kremer with our 2nd Tanka Fund Limited Edition Collectible Blanket.
Following the meal, Tanka Fund honored Chad Kremer, manager of Custer State Park’s Buffalo herd and owner of Kremer Buffalo with a 2nd Tanka Fund Limited Edition Collectible Blanket to show appreciation. Janét emphasized that the gesture recognized not just his role in hosting, but also his long-standing collaboration and mentorship in Buffalo management.
Tanka Fund also donated two additional blankets to support the Dakota Territory Buffalo Association auction.
Afternoon: Wagon Rides & Changing Practices
The day closed with a hands-on experience out on the land.
“We then got to go on open wagon rides to look at the bison,”Janét shared. “Chad talked about his management and how it’s changed, for example he no longer weans calves from their mothers and has now seen up to four years worth of siblings all staying together around their mom as a family.”
For Rachel, this was the perfect way to end the day: “Then we went on a tour. In all it was a good day!”
What It All Means
Beyond the event itself, the topics discussed directly connect to Tanka Fund’s mission and current work. As Janét explained, Tanka Fund “recently received a grant from SDSU to help our ranchers adopt body condition scoring and bale/swath grazing.”
What happened at Custer State Park wasn’t just theory — it was a living exchange of knowledge that is already helping Buffalo ranchers and land stewards across the region.
