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Native Wise IN publications

David Wise: Growing Good Medicine

– Minnesota Native News

David Wise, descendant of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and founder of Native Wise Farm, shares his journey of bringing bison back to his ranch after a spiritual dream with Chief Buffalo. His herd has grown from twelve to nearly sixty animals, and the ranch also serves as home to three rare Ojibwe Spirit Horses that were nearly extinct.
David Wise: Growing Good Medicine

Harvested with Heart: How Native Wise Honors and Shares Minnesota’s Wild Rice Traditions

David Wise of Native Wise shares the cultural significance and traditional harvesting methods of Minnesota wild rice, known as manoomin in Ojibwe, which his ancestors found when seeking “the place where food grows on water.” The article details the traditional two-person canoe harvesting process and four-step processing method that transforms freshly harvested rice into the flavorful, nutrient-rich superfood Native Wise is known for.
Harvested with Heart: How Native Wise Honors and Shares Minnesota’s Wild Rice Traditions

Meet a Minnesota bison rancher who used a Regional Food Business Center

– Resource Rural

Patra and David Wise of Native Wise discuss the impact of federal funding cuts to Regional Food Business Centers, which helped their bison ranch secure a crucial $45,000 freezer/cooler through a Business Builder award. The article highlights how these USDA programs supported small family farms like theirs in building sustainable food systems and infrastructure, with the North Central center alone assisting nearly 600 businesses before funding was eliminated in July.
Meet a Minnesota bison rancher who used a Regional Food Business Center

Our Rancher Partners: Patra and David Wise
– Tanka Fund

David Wise (Ojibwe) and his wife Patra operate Native Wise LLC on the Fond du Lac Reservation, where they raise buffalo after David discovered his ancestral connection to Chief Buffalo and received a dream telling him to “bring back my namesake.” Their herd has grown from 12 to 47 buffalo since 2022, and they host youth programs teaching traditional knowledge and cultural connections through buffalo stewardship.
Our Rancher Partners: Patra and David Wise

Native Wise
– Wole Foods Co-op

Native Wise, a family farm on the Fond du Lac Reservation, received a $7,000 GLFF grant to purchase refrigerated transport and freezers for their new bison meat business while working to restore their 350-acre ranch and remove invasive species.
Meet the GLFF Grantee - Native Wise

‘Earth is our mother’: Minnesota farm addresses climate change by reintroducing bison, Ojibwe horses

– MPR News

David Wise, descendant of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and founder of Native Wise farm, discusses reintroducing bison to his northern Minnesota farm in 2022 to honor his great-grandfather Chief Buffalo while participating in a carbon sequestration study to improve soil health on land that hadn’t grazed animals for years. Wise is also working to help save the nearly extinct Ojibwe horses through a breeding program and emphasizes his role as a land steward guided by Ojibwe values that view “Earth as our mother.”
'Earth is our mother': Minnesota farm addresses climate change

Northland’s Native-run CSA sees peak first year

 

– Duluth News Tribune

Northland’s Native-run CSA sees peak first year
Native Wise LLC farmers David and Patra Wise partnered with AICHO to launch their first community-supported agriculture program in 2020, pivoting from farmers markets to CSA boxes during COVID-19. The collaboration delivered fresh produce to community members through locally grown “good medicine.”

Northland's Native-run CSA sees first peak year

Native Wise LLC Listing

 

– Minnesota Grown

Native-owned and operated farm in Sawyer specializing in sustainable, chemical-free production of vegetables, honey, maple syrup, and wild rice. Operating with pollinator-friendly practices and companion planting, they offer online ordering with nationwide shipping and partner with local co-ops and AICHO for CSA distribution.

Native Wise LLC Listing

Bison Bizhikiwag Homecoming

 

– Heavy Table

David Wise of Native Wise Foods brought twelve young bison back to Fond du Lac Reservation after Chief Buffalo appeared in his dream saying “bring my namesake back.” The article explores how these bison help restore depleted land while connecting to Wise’s grandmother’s teachings that “good food is good medicine,” and includes his plans for a Chief Buffalo Learning Center and traditional jerky recipe.

Bison Bizhikiwag Homecoming

AICHO’s Focus on Indigenous Food Sovereignty and Access

AICHO and DanSan Creatives produced a video highlighting the Indigenous food sovereignty movement, featuring Native Wise LLC and the cultural significance of manoomin (wild rice) in Anishinaabe tradition. The video showcases how Indigenous food producers like David and Patra Wise are sustaining their communities through traditional foods, CSA programs, and intertribal food box initiatives during the pandemic.

AICHO's Focus on Indigenous Food Sovereignty and Access

Buffalo Release

With help from Tanka Fund, NRCS, and Whole Foods Co-op, we finally did it! New fields all fenced in and ready for the herd. David Wise has worked SO hard for this day!

Buffalo Release

After Near Extermination, Ojibwe pony returns to ancestral homelands 

-Pine Journal

David and Patra Wise of Native Wise farms welcomed two Lac La Croix Indigenous ponies to the Fond du Lac Reservation, marking the breed’s return to ancestral lands after near extinction in the 1970s when only four mares remained. The horses serve as cultural ambassadors to reconnect Ojibwe youth with their heritage, though the breed still faces genetic challenges with only 175 horses and 27 breeding stallions remaining.

Ojibwe Ponies Return to Ancestral Homelands

The first Ojibwe Horse Club event set to link history to the present

– WDIO

Native Wise LLC, AICHO, and Sawyer Community Center hosted the first Ojibwe Horse Club meeting to reintroduce the community to Ojibwe Spirit Horses, which nearly went extinct in the 1970s. The event featured professional horse training, traditional Ojibwe food, elder blessings, and education about establishing a foundation bloodline for these rare horses.

The first Ojibwe Horse Club event set to link history to the present

Senator Tina Smith Visits Native Wise Farm

– Pine Knot News

U.S. Senator Tina Smith toured David and Patra Wise’s farm to discuss challenges facing Native farmers and small-scale agriculture. The visit highlighted issues like inadequate fencing standards for bison versus cattle, complex licensing requirements, and the need for policies that support small farmers as part of Smith’s work on a bipartisan “Native Farm Bill.”

Senator Tina Smith Visits Native Wise Farm

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Sawyer, MN 55780

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