Those traits matched almost perfectly with what the farmer had watched his bison do all winter. For the first time, both men began to wonder if the animals sold for almost nothing were far more special than the bank had ever realized.
When they searched through old records about the Red Crown line, they discovered something even more important. Red Crown bison were known for having very little crossbreeding with domestic cattle, making them especially valuable for conservation and breeding programs. Many commercial bison herds had been mixed with cattle genetics over generations, but animals that kept a high level of original bison genetics were much harder to find. If the farmer's herd truly carried Red Crown blood, then his $1,200 purchase had not simply bought 43 starving animals; he might have accidentally bought a rare breeding herd worth many times what he had paid.
But an old brand was not enough to prove bloodline. To know for sure, the farmer would have to send DNA samples to a laboratory that specialized in livestock genetics. Collecting samples from dozens of animals, processing the paperwork, and running detailed genetic tests would cost a serious amount of money. After the long winter, nearly all of his savings were gone from feed, medicine, fencing, and transportation.
Now he faced another hard decision: he could stop and accept that Red Crown was only a theory, or risk what little he had left to discover the true value of the herd.
After days of thinking it over, the old farmer made a decision that even the veterinarian did not expect. Sitting in his shed was the old pickup truck that had belonged to his late wife. He had kept it for years as one of the last reminders of her. The truck was old, but it was still worth enough to cover most of the DNA testing costs. He sold it, took the money, and spent nearly all of it collecting samples from the herd and sending them to a livestock genetics laboratory. To him, this was no longer about simple curiosity; if the bison truly carried Red Crown blood, the test results could decide the future of his entire farm.
News that he had sold the truck quickly spread through town. When the bank president heard about it, he laughed again. He said the old farmer was selling something that actually had value just to prove some fantasy about royal bison. He was convinced that in a few weeks the test would show nothing special; then the farmer would have no truck, no money, and no choice but to return to the bank and sell his land. But the old man did not argue. He kept caring for the herd, checking every water trough and every section of fence while quietly waiting for the results.
Before the DNA results could arrive, another threat hit the farm. A severe drought moved across the region. Pastures that had finally turned green after winter quickly faded to yellow. The ground began cracking, and the water level in the well dropped day after day. Natural forage became harder to find just as the bison were still rebuilding their strength and the pregnant females were entering an important stage.
After surviving a brutal winter, the herd now faced a new danger: running out of water in the middle of a dry season. Then the worst possible thing happened. The well pump failed just when the herd needed water the most.
The farmer had almost no money left after paying for the DNA tests, but he managed to find a used pump at a low price. He took apart the old pipes himself, replaced the damaged sections, and rebuilt the system with his own hands. Instead of pumping water constantly, he divided water use into scheduled periods and rotated it between different parts of the farm so the well would not be drained too quickly. Every gallon mattered. One serious mistake could put the entire herd in danger.
The bank immediately saw an opportunity. The bank president returned with another offer to buy the farm, certain that this time the old man would finally give in. The drought was destroying the pasture, the well had just failed, the bison needed water every day, and the mortgage was still hanging over him. The banker told him that all of those problems could disappear if he signed over the property right then, but the farmer refused again. The harder things became, the more aggressively the bank pushed him to sell cheap. To him, that only proved his land was worth far more to them than they wanted to admit.
In the worst part of the drought, the pregnant bison began giving birth. This was the moment the farmer had feared most. The mothers had already survived a winter with limited food, and now they were giving birth while both grass and water were scarce. But one calf after another was born. In total, 19 calves arrived and 18 survived in good health. Even more surprising, most of the mothers recovered quickly after giving birth. They continued nursing their calves and moving normally between the grazing areas despite the difficult conditions.