Bison farming combines wildlife conservation with food production, but the welfare of farmed bison depends significantly on management systems that accommodate their natural ranging and social behaviors.
Farmed bison occupy a unique space between wildlife and livestock, retaining strong behavioral drives for ranging and social living that intensively managed systems cannot accommodate. Low-density grazing systems with minimal handling requirements best serve bison welfare, while species-appropriate low-stress handling facilities reduce injury during necessary procedures. Conservation ranching models that integrate large-scale grazing with prairie restoration offer the closest approach to meeting bison behavioral needs in production systems.