What animal is nearly six feet tall at its hump, can weigh more than one ton, runs 35 mph, and jumps over six feet high? If you guessed a bison, you are correct! If you’d like to get an up-close look at a buffalo and learn more about these majestic animals, plan a visit this summer to the Bracy Gold Bison Ranch near Swanton!
A spectacular herd of bison roams the grassy pastures of the Bracy Gold Bison Ranch in eastern Fulton County. Brent and Stacy Nofziger have a deep love of animals and strive to raise bison in an environmentally friendly manner. They also realize the importance of sharing the story of agriculture with others and enjoy welcoming guests to their bison ranch.
About the Farm
Established in 2018, the Bracy Gold Bison Ranch is located on County Road 4 just north of Swanton. Growing up on a family farm in Archbold, Brent always wanted to be a cowboy. Today he uses his expertise in business and accounting along with his love of farming to help raise happy and healthy animals. A trained vet tech, Stacy brings a degree in zoology and a great love of animals to the farm. She has worked with large animals at several zoos and works hard to ensure their bison herd stays healthy on the ranch. Their daughter Leona is also a big help on the farm.
The bison herd averages between 50 to 60 animals including bulls, cows, and their calves. This spring, 12 additional calves were born on this 55-acre bison ranch. Two beautiful horses and a flock of chickens are also part of this family farm in Fulton County.
“Our new calves are very cute and curious,” shared Stacy. “They tend to play in groups while the mothers graze.”
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Bison Ranch Tours
Brent and Stacy love to tell the story of bison and encourage guests to schedule a tour for an up-close look at these majestic animals! It is recommended to schedule your tour in mid-morning or late afternoon, as that is when the bison are most active. While all ages are welcome to tour the farm, children ages five and older usually get the most out of the farm tours.
“We have a wagon pulled by a 1953 Allis-Chalmers tractor. We take the tour out into the pasture where the bison are currently grazing to talk about bison history, our farm history, and facts about bison,” shared Stacy. “Many people really enjoy being able to see the bison up close, see the calves playing, trying to count the calves, figuring out where our three bulls are, and listening to the sounds of birds singing and bison eating. Sometimes before or after the tour, we even give the children a cup of chicken food so they can feed our free-ranging chickens.”
Special Events
The Great Pumpkin Drop-Off is held each year on the first Saturday after Halloween. On Saturday, November 4, guests are encouraged to bring their pumpkins (carved or uncarved), to be fed to the bison at a later date! There will be tours throughout the day, live music, crafts for the kids, and bison burgers! Guests can visit the on-site store to purchase bison meat and even bison wool socks. There is an entrance fee for this event, but registration is not required. To learn more about other upcoming events and activities be sure to follow Bracy Gold Bison Ranch on Facebook!
Planning Your Visit
The Bracy Gold Bison Ranch is located at 11616 Co. Rd. 4 in Swanton. The farm is open Monday-Saturday by appointment only. Farm tours are approximately 45 minutes long and are available by appointment only from May through early November. Tours are $10 per person for groups of 4 or less and $8 per person for groups of 5 or more. Tours can be scheduled by calling Stacy at 419-360-3395.
To learn more about the Bracy Gold Bison Farm visit bracygoldbison.com or visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/BracyGold. The Nofziger family specializes in raising bison that are pasture-raised and pasture-finished. Bison meat can be purchased on the farm after a tour or can be ordered online for pick-up or delivery (restrictions apply). Appointments can also be made to visit the on-farm store by calling Brent at 419-572-0145. The farm also has a booth at the Perrysburg Farmers Market.
