Local bison ranchers share their story and plans to rebuild after devastating house fire

MCCAMMON, Idaho (KIFI)– Diamond P GrassRoots Bison Ranch, the dream project of McCammon couple Rob and Jenny Perkins, grew from humble beginnings in Utah to a popular East Idaho destination that promises to come back bigger and better after a massive house fire last month.

Rob Perkins said bison ranching was always an aspiration, and after a fateful family discussion over a decade ago, the family decided to launch into ranch life with no previous experience.

"We wanted to do something with a little bit different lifestyle, so we wanted to be active, and we wanted to get into ranching a little bit," said Rob. "And the timing that we got into it, which was around 2013 and 2012, was a really good time to get into the bison market–bison have always interested me, they've been a very monumental North American animal, and so we just had a ton of respect for the animals and we did some research and decided we would just jump in."

The Perkins started their ranching dreams with 9 baby bison on a plot of leased land in Utah, but as the animals grew, so did the family's need to move on to bigger, greener pastures.

Rob and Jenny settled on relocating their ranch to their current McCammon location. At the time, however, the family did not have the means to move a small herd of fully-grown bison from Utah to Idaho, but help came, unexpectedly, from a friend looking for livestock to feature in a major TV series.

"They took all their cowboys and their trailers, and they loaded up all of our animals, took them up above Park City, Utah, where they filmed for about two and a half weeks and dropped them right here in the field for us," said Jenny. "The bison that you see on Yellowstone, Kevin Costner's Yellowstone, those are ours, and that was the blessing that got them here."

Since then, the Diamond P GrassRoots Bison Ranch has become a popular destination offering bison meat, school tours, bison-watching wagon rides, and the ever-popular 'Baby Days' event.

But last month, tragedy struck the ranch when a fire devastated the family's home. No people or animals were harmed in the fire, and the family is choosing to look on the bright side by cherishing the support they have received from people in the area.

"Just huge blessings have come out of this–the community, our friends, family, like everyone... we've been truly amazed," said Jenny. "It's overwhelming for sure," said Rob.

The Perkins said the ranch will continue to operate as usual through the summer, and they plan to rebuild their home on the same site.

Rob and Jenny's children have also set up a GoFundMe page to help the family collect donations for the rebuild. For more information, you can visit the Diamond P GrassRoots Bison Ranch website.