We’ve been watching Homestead Rescue since the show first started and have always admired the Raney family and the incredible work they do to help people strengthen their homesteads and reclaim their dreams. So one evening while watching an episode, we started laughing about how similar that family’s situation was to ours. Half joking, we said, “Maybe we should reach out and see if they’d come help us.” That little joke turned into a wild idea — and eventually, one of the biggest adventures we’ve ever had on the ranch.
Out of curiosity, I went to Discovery Channel’s website to see what it actually takes to get on the show. To my surprise, it was just a simple questionnaire. So, I filled it out — figuring the worst thing that could happen was that we’d never hear back. Honestly, I assumed that’s exactly what would happen. But about a month later, I got a call from a producer who wanted to set up an interview to learn more about our story. I think my jaw hit the floor!
Why Us?
When we started Wild K Ranch about five years ago we bought a worn-out cattle property with the acreage we needed to begin building our dream. Over those years, we’ve poured our hearts into this land — restoring pastures, building infrastructure, raising our herd, and learning as we go. Like any ranch, there’s always more work ahead. During our first interview with the Homestead Rescue team, we talked through some of the projects that worried us most — our struggling garden, dead trees near the house, and exposed electrical wiring in the barn.
And, of course, we mentioned that we raise bison.
That instantly grabbed their attention. The Raneys had never worked with livestock as large (or as wild!) as bison before, and the idea of coming to a bison ranch for the show sparked real excitement.
Welcoming the Raneys and Crew to the Ranch
The process from that first call to actual filming took time — with several interviews, pre-filming days to document our ranch, and producer visits to plan logistics. We were eventually told we needed a third “homesteader” on the show, and our original plan was to have our 19-year-old son join us. But with filming scheduled right as he was leaving for college, that plan changed quickly. Thankfully, our brother-in-law stepped in and agreed to leave his family for ten days to help us through filming. To make things even more exciting, our neighbors and mentors at Prairie Ridge was also being filmed for Homestead Rescue, and our friend Shawn Bennett, who runs that ranch, was serving as the show’s wildlife expert during our episode.
Filming lasted ten full days, with around 30 people on-site each day — including the cast, production crew, and local helpers from Limon. We expected a whirlwind, and that’s exactly what we got: cameras, drones, microphones, and long, full days on the ranch. It was fun, fast-paced, and at times surreal to see our daily life through a film crew’s eyes. The Raney’s ended up helping us with things we never expected, offering creative solutions and fresh ideas that pushed us outside our comfort zone and helped us see our land’s potential in a completely new light.
A Year in the Making
Last night, we finally got to sit down and watch our episode of Homestead Rescue for the very first time. We hosted a “Taco Tuesday” watch party at Prairie Ridge Buffalo Ranch with friends, family, and fellow bison ranchers — the perfect way to celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime experience. There was definitely some nervousness and anticipation leading up to it. It’s a strange feeling knowing that someone else is about to tell your story to the world — to see your life, your work, and your challenges through someone else’s lens. But as the episode played, those nerves slowly turned into laughter, a few tears, and a whole lot of gratitude.
There was so much more that the Raneys and crew did for us than could ever fit into a single episode, and we are endlessly thankful for all of it. Their impact on our ranch — and our family — runs far deeper than what made it onto the screen.
If you enjoyed the episode, we’d love for you to continue following our story here on our blog and across our social media pages. This was a wonderful way to share our journey, but it’s only the beginning of this Wild Adventure.
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