A knack for yaks

Spring Brook Ranch featured on Discovery Channel

arol Bibler and her husband, Jim Watson, have a home where buffalo roam and yaks follow the couple around like pet dogs.

Just like the song, Bibler and Watson seldom hear a discouraging word, at least no moos or bawling, from these ruminants.

"They grunt - softly," Bibler said.

The two enjoy their lifestyle raising Tibetan yaks for seed stock and Plains bison for meat on Spring Brook Ranch, located on Foy's Lake Road. Their picture-perfect thousand-acre spread seems an unlikely setting to attract a Discovery Channel show called "Dirty Jobs."

"The ranch hands watch the show," Watson said. "They said 'We do a lot cooler things than that on a daily basis.'"

Always interested in exposing the joy of yaks to others, Watson sent off an e-mail proposing their ranch for a "Dirty Jobs" episode. Bibler said they were most interested in the bison at first.

"I sent pictures of really cute yak calves," Watson said. "That sealed the deal." Mike Rowe, star of the show, and a crew of five showed up in May for a day-long taping session. Working with the bison and yak provided a crowd-pleasing share of "yuk" moments, such as combing for fiber through dung-matted hair.

Rowe's combing efforts were rewarded when local spinner Judie Overbeek showed up with a cap she had spun from Spring Brook Ranch fiber. Rowe modeled the hat on screen, triggering quite a few inquiries from viewers asking where they could buy one.

The star of "Dirty Jobs" also participated in muddy moments rounding up and ear-tagging yak calves on the far side of the ranch.

"The little buggers are hard to catch," Watson said. "It was fun."

The "Animal Barber" episode was part of the two-episode 150th anniversary program for "Dirty Jobs." Check Discovery Channel's Web site for the next scheduled airing.

Both Bibler and Watson were happy with the portrayal of their Spring Brook Ranch in general and yaks in particular.

"They open the show with Mike bottle-feeding calves," he said.

The couple's impression was reinforced by the number of e-mail inquiries they received following the broadcast from viewers eager to learn more about their unusual herds.

Watson said that bison and yaks get along well on the ranch since both are bovines. But bison remain wild animals while yaks were domesticated five to eight thousand years ago through cross-breeding with cattle.

He said only about 1,000 wild yaks remain. Watson described the wild bulls as extremely fierce, a distinct contrast to the ranch herd which nuzzled Bibler and Watson for alfalfa treats during a walk among the heifers, cows and calves.

"They don't even mind kids crawling on them," Bibler said, as black and white yaks named Temba and Akar plodded along beside her.

The couple must exercise caution when the mothers have young calves. Watson said he has never been hurt by yaks but he has been charged as a warning.

One yak made a strong point once as Watson was trying to herd him into a squeeze chute for vaccinations.

"I had a bull pick me up with his horns and carry me across the corral, put me down and stare at me," he said.

To keep top genetics, the ranch culls inferior calves for pets (steers) or for meat which tastes nearly identical to the more familiar bison. The ranch sells meat for yak burgers to the Kalispell restaurant Red's, Wines & Blues, as well as to the public through Withey's Health Foods in Kalispell.

Their bison herd goes exclusively for local consumption.

"It's custom processing by the side," Watson said. "We're taking orders now."

Word of mouth about the quality of their hormone-free animals helps them sell all they have available. Watson said they feed bison and yak local hay, grasses and light grain but no corn to avoid unhealthy marbling within the muscles and damaged livers.

"Corn isn't good because they're not evolved to eat it," he said.

The couple markets their seed-stock yak through the National Western Stock Show held each year in Denver. For the last several years, Spring Brook Ranch yaks have dominated that portion of the show, taking home half the ribbons awarded.

"Now they're pre-sold before we get there," Watson said.

They developed yaks that are genetically superior, robust and stocky with thick wool, through systematic line breeding. Watson, who serves on the International Yak Association's board of directors, takes pride as the source of this small but evolving market.

"We are the premier seed stock producer in the U.S. and Canada," he said. "We have the largest full-blood herd in the country."

The animal's temperament, small size, heartiness and versatility make the yak appealing to novice farmers with small acreage. People use them as pets, pack animals and producers of a high-quality soft fiber which Bibler compared to cashmere.

"We sell fiber too but we really focus on selling breeding stock," she said.

She said spinners love their fiber for its consistency, which they achieve from harvesting the down only from yearling animals with curry combs. Overbeek compared working with their fiber to "spinning honey."

Bibler said it's nice and smooth and doesn't require much adjustment of the wheel. She once made an attempt to learn spinning herself from Overbeek.

"I've just had to face the fact that I'm not very crafty," she said with a laugh.

According to Watson, fiber brings another customer to the table since the yaks fit in well with animals such as alpacas, goats, llamas and sheep.

"They're extremely easy keepers - we've never pulled a calf," Watson said. "Hobby farmers - they're our primary customers."

Yaks require no shelter. They stand up well to winter winds and snow and survive at altitudes where domestic cattle die.

Watson, a hunter education instructor, has used yaks as packers carrying up to 20 percent of their body weight. Their size ranges from 600 pounds for females up to bulls which tip the scales at 1,400, about half the size of cattle.

The ranch now is home to about 40 yak and 20 bison. The couple uses 350 of the thousand acres for sustained-harvest timber production.

Spring Brook Ranch also serves as a sanctuary for native wildlife, as envisioned by founder Sam Bibler. The property is under a Montana Land Reliance conservation easement to preserve the open vistas for posterity.

"Sam was a geologist so he could think in geologic time," Watson said.

Carol Bibler's father was well-known as a conservationist and philanthropist. He championed the acquisition and historic preservation of Conrad Mansion and also created exquisite gardens on the family estate.

In 2002, the couple assumed full stewardship of the land, bison and yaks when Sam Bibler died. Carol Bibler said it was a shame that her father had just started acquiring the yaks when he passed away.

"He never got to enjoy them," she said.

But Bibler left a permanent memorial enjoyed daily by Watson, his daughter, grandson Sam and the passing public. The log barn, outbuildings and home framed by undulating hills of grazing yak and bison seem frozen in time.

Occasionally, the 20 bison take flight, moving as one, making the ground shake and roar.

"Imagine what thousands sounded like," Bibler said. "People in the 1800s called it rolling thunder across the plains."

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.