this is

Our
Home

Wisconsin icon logo
Bison herd at sundown on prairie
Kris feeding bison with bucket
620 Acres to roam in

Cadott, WI

In 2010 we bought a beautiful 70-acre piece of land from a family we had known for years. We spent every weekend out there clearing brush, fixing fence and exploring the woods and pastures. It was our plan to build our dream home there someday and have a small hobby farm where we could raise our family. That 70 acres was just a small piece of a large 620 acre working dairy farm. In 2014 we made the decision that it was time to start our own herd and while researching cattle, a friend that raised bison recommended that we look into raising them instead. Bison had always fascinated us, and after spending the next 6 months spending every possible minute researching, thinking and talking bison with anyone and everyone we could, attending a Holistic Management Seminar and helping round up and work bison at a few different ranches here in the state, we decided to dive in, and go to work on building our own little bison operation. In the summer of 2015 we were ready for animals and we were able to purchase a small bison herd from a family here in Wisconsin that was getting out of the business. The timing was perfect and these animals were a great starter herd to help us get our feet wet.

Brown family and tractor on ICON Ranch

About a year after catching the bison fever, one fall day in 2015, I was sitting at the kitchen table with the gentleman who we had purchased the original 70 acres from and he informed me that he was ready to retire and quit farming. He talked to me about either wanting to sell the land, or lease it out, and the pros and cons of each. One thing that was important to him was keeping the farm and land healthy, neat, and organized and being able to spend the rest of his life here at his home where he had lived and raised his family for the last 60+ years. We had developed a great relationship with this family over the years, they were much like grandparents to us and our daughters, as a few years prior we had moved into another home they owned here on the farm. Our plan was to live here on the farm for a few years while we prepared to build our dream home on the original piece of land we bought on the other side of the farm. During that time I helped him out here and there, giving him a hand maintaining the farm, and fixing up the house that we lived in. While talking about the future of the 620-acre farm, that afternoon I said

“Jerry, we really enjoy bison ranching, and the market seems very positive, what if I look into trying to figure out a way to put a business model together that would allow us to purchase the entire farm?”

After 6 months of deliberation and work towards building a sustainable business model, we decided to put our dream house on hold and commit every dime we had to go all-in on this new venture. Jerry and his wife Betty were able to comfortably retire from the farming way of life, yet finish out their glory years here in their homestead on the farm that they worked so hard for so many years to build. With their support, over the last 7 years they have watched us put blood, sweat and tears into tearing out an unforgettable amount of rusty old barbed wire, cutting massive amounts of brush, planting hundreds of acres of grass, and building miles of new fence and corrals, transforming their pride and joy Rolling Acres Farm, from an old dairy farm into the beautiful ICON Ranch where hundreds of bison now roam the endless rolling hills of green grass that are centered around a unique band of glacial hills here in Cadott, WI.

We hope Jerry & Betty are proud of the farms new purpose and we are extremely grateful to take over where they left off. Having the opportunity to raise Bison, an American ICON with our 3 daughters as a team, alongside our bison friends and family has created a story we are so proud to call ours. Welcome to ICON Ranch & ICON Meats where we turned a dream into our reality! 

Read More

this is

Our
Family

Decorative watercolor brush stroke
Brown family with a bison on wisconsin ranch
Decorative watercolor brush stroke
Kris, Roxy, Aryanah, Jersey & Vayda

The Browns

Our operation is truly a family business. I met my husband in October of 2006 and we were married in June of 2007. We quickly started a family and now have three beautiful daughters, Aryanah, Jersey & Vayda. While it’s not always easy, we love being able to raise our family in a situation like ours.  Most days are spent (with our girls in tow) out in a dusy tractor or pasture alongside the bison herd and we wouldn't have it any other way. We try to teach our girls the importance of respect for people and nature and we have sacrificed many things to create a lifestyle where our kids would grow up appreciating the little things many take for granted. These girls spend their free time taking care of their dozens of farm pets, exploring the land, riding dirt bikes & atvs and helping around the ranch with projects. We as parents are proud to know our girls will live this life knowing that ranching is more than a job, it's our lifestyle.

In 2019 we decided to grow our operation from ICON Ranch and bring you ICON Meats where we can share our quality meats with our customers. We work with the award winning team at Crescent Meats to bring you the highest quality Bison, Elk and Venison artisan meats. This journey has been anything but easy for our family, but with the support from our family, friends & customers we are able and proud to continue our working bison operation and for that we thank you!

this is

Our
Story

Icon Ranch logo in black

In the spring of 2015 our family rolled up our sleeves and got to work on building our dream…a regenerative bison ranch that we could raise our growing family on. Miles of old barbed wire was ripped out, massive amounts of brush was cut, grass was planted, miles of new fence and corrals were built and after years of blood, sweat and tears the old dairy farm centered around a beautiful band of glacial hills near Cadott, Wisconsin was transformed into the beautiful ICON ranch where hundreds of bison now roam.

Icon Meats logo in  black

Join our family as we come together with other hard working ranchers and the award winning team at Crescent Meats to bring you artisan meats raised with pride and crafted with passion.

Visit ICON Meats

Get In Touch

Name
Email
Message
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form
X