OUR STORY
Welcome to our web page. We are Eric and Tonya Horvath. We opened Eel River Bison Ranch in 2014 to begin our dream of operating a working bison ranch. Much work was done before the first animals arrived in January 2015. We worked to convert over 35 acres of corn and soybean farm ground to healthy, green pastures. Now Eel River Bison Ranch is home to a herd running between 20-30 head of bison. We currently provide Bison Meat to a handful of local restaurants, customers of an online farmers market in Fort Wayne, and also sell bison meat and provide private, scheduled tours on the ranch. Our farm gift store is open Saturdays from 10am-2pm. Its best to check Facebook too for additional days or store hour changes. Especially when the Holidays arrive.
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The barn on the property was built in 1919 and updated in the 70's. It was used as an event center/restaurant until 2007. We reopened in 2014 with the uniqueness of having a special event on a working bison ranch along with having this delicious, healthy bison meat as part of the event menu. Many aesthetic improvements have been made to the barn and in then in early 2023 we ended or endevour of Venue events and converted the main floor into a gift shop. The gift shop features handmade items made on the farm, and in the local surrounding community. The gift shop has many products, ranging from bison bone art, jewelry, quilts, home decor, candles, melting scents and much more to come.
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In addition to selling meat and operating a gift shop on the ranch, people can schedule a private tour offering a view of the Bison and how the ranch works. The ranch is also a site for Harvest Host, where people traveling can come and stay overnight with a view of the Bison, pasture and pond on the property. When guests visit for any reason they can take home not just tasty bison meat, but a souvenir of their visit.