Major buffalo farm shuts down north of Rainy River

By Jack Elliott
Correspondent

The Rainy River District is losing one of its major farming operations. North End Farms Ltd Bison Ranch located in Dawson Municipality northwest of Rainy River has announced they are closing the bison ranching operation.
“There will be an orderly winding down of the ranch,” said Amos Brielmann of Pinewood, ON. 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 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 over 800 bison, one of North America’s largest captive herds
According to Brielmann, the bison will be rounded up over the next few months as they become habituated to feeding within the coral system, and then shipped out. An auction sale of machinery and equipment, originally scheduled for late October, has been postponed until spring of 2009, he added.
At this time there is no announcement on when, or if North End Farms Ltd, approximately 8500 acres of land and buildings will also be sold.
There is one other commercial bison operation in the District, owned by the Peters Family in Blue Township.