You made our year
If you have ever questioned your impact, let us be clear: 2025 happened because of you. In one of our most challenging years to date, your support helped provide $1.1 million in technical services and programs to 22 active ranchers. Together, we returned 220 Buffalo to Native caretakers across more than 55,000 acres in eight states.
That impact goes beyond numbers. Infrastructure was built. Herds were established. Families strengthened their role as caretakers, creating pathways to pass this work to the next generation and to feed their communities in healthier ways. 2025 proved that collective effort can move what feels immovable.
And the work is far from finished. More ranchers are ready. More land is prepared. The demand for support continues to grow, and together we can meet it — ensuring that the next 220 Buffalo find their way home.
Wopila Tanka for walking with us in this work.
Our Rancher Partners: Jeff Caskey
Jeff Caskey (Cherokee Nation), a southern Oklahoma cow-calf rancher near Tishomingo, isn’t rushing into Buffalo. He’s building the infrastructure first.
With funding support, Jeff has invested in handling equipment and fencing to ensure his ranch is ready before bringing animals onto the land. After nearly 15 years in cattle, he sees Buffalo as both a way to diversify his operation and an opportunity to reconnect people to an animal that holds deep ecological and cultural significance.
“Everywhere I go, somehow the conversation comes around to bison,” he said. “People are interested — in the meat, in the animals, in the history.”
Jeff hopes to welcome Buffalo next year and eventually host field days so the community can see them grazing on the land — not confined to a tourist-style setting, but as natural managers of the Southern Plains.
Tanka Fund attends ANA post-award training in Oklahoma City
The Administration for Native Americans, through the Administration for Children and Families, focuses on strengthening Native communities through economic development, cultural preservation, and long-term self-sufficiency.
Tanka Fund supports Native Buffalo ranchers who are rebuilding herds on Tribal and Native lands in ways that restore food systems, create local economic opportunity, and reconnect communities with cultural lifeways tied to Buffalo. Like ANA, our work is rooted in community-driven solutions that build capacity from within rather than imposing outside models.
Through upcoming ANA opportunities, we hope to expand work that strengthens Native producer networks, increases access to training and technical assistance for Buffalo ranchers, and supports youth and community engagement around Native food systems and land stewardship. These investments help move Native communities toward greater economic resilience while reinforcing cultural knowledge and intergenerational learning.
ANA’s focus on community development and self-sufficiency reflects the same long view that guides Tanka Fund: healthy herds, healthy grasslands, and strong Native economies for generations to come.
Tanka Fund Expands Producer Resources at IAC 2026
Our Tanka Fund team attended the IAC 2026 Great Plains Regional Summit on Feb. 3–4 at The Box Event Center in Box Elder, South Dakota. The team participated in two days of learning, networking, and relationship building.
Tanka Fund hosted an informational booth throughout the summit, creating space to connect with longtime partners and introduce new potential ranchers to our work. The event brought together leaders, producers, and advocates committed to strengthening Tribal agriculture and land stewardship efforts across the region.
One of the most impactful moments of the summit was Dereck Stonefish’s presentation on Historical Trauma and Its Impact on Tribal Land Stewardship and Food Systems. His insights offered a powerful reminder of the deeper context surrounding the work many Tribal producers carry forward today — and the importance of supporting that work with care, knowledge, and long-term vision.
Upcoming event: South Dakota Grasslands Summit
The Tanka Fund team will be in attendance at the South Dakota Grasslands Summit, hosted by the South Dakota Grassland Initiative on March 3–4 in Mitchell, SD. Our rancher partner Alex Romero will also be speaking.
The South Dakota Grassland Initiative is a network of diverse organizations, agencies, and individuals who support grasslands as a means of retaining prairie ecosystems, both native and restored, while sustaining rural economies and healthy communities.
Tanka Trivia
Last Question:
We hid a famous Broadway quote in our last newsletter. Did you catch it? What was the Broadway musical?
Answer: Hamilton
This month’s question:
What mood does a Buffalo show when its tail hangs down?
Think you know?
Email your answer to:
info@tankafund.orgfor a chance to win exclusive Tanka Fund merch!
🦬 Good luck, and thank you for supporting Buffalo restoration!
