Board-certified general surgeon at Mercy Health Saint Rita's Medical Center. Five generations of Ohio farming behind him. An exotic livestock ranch on our own land that runs on the same precision he brings to the operating room. S&S Acres — Stitches and Staples.
Dr. Jason Bowersock is a board-certified general surgeon at Mercy Health Saint Rita's Medical Center (Lima, OH), practicing trauma, robotic, and bariatric surgery. Subspecialty focus on GERD and abdominal wall hernia repair.
Sixteen years operating at home. Jason finished training and moved back to Lima — close to family, on the land he grew up on, in the community that raised him.
Ohio-trained. Undergraduate at University of Cincinnati. Medical school at Wright State University. General surgery residency at Mount Carmel, Columbus.
One of the leading general surgery robotic surgeons in a seven-state area, with over 4,500 robotic cases completed.
Jason runs S&S Acres, an exotic livestock ranch on our own land in Lima, Ohio. Four mascot programs — bison, elk and red deer, Highland and Watusi, yak — raised on Ohio pasture and documented from birth.
The shelf-stable Tonka Bison Jerky line is processed USDA-inspected at Whiskey Hill Smokehouse in Hubbard, Oregon. Brucellosis and tuberculosis tested clean. CWD-clean herd since inception.
"I'm a general surgeon. The two things I do every day are stitches and staples. When we named the ranch, we kept it honest — the surgery is what made the land possible, and the land is where the work ends every night."
Five generations of Ohio farming sit behind Jason — a line that traces back to Frank and Malinda Bowersock, born in 1856 and 1855, the earliest documented farmers in the family and Jason's great-great-grandparents. The family acquired the S&S Acres land in 2010. The ranch itself didn't begin until 2016, when the first bison stepped off the trailer.
Jason's dad still farms the traditional family piece — crops, cattle, pigs — the way it's been done for generations. His brother runs his own operation from their grandparents' homestead, working both Grandpa's land and Dad's. S&S Acres is its own ranch on its own land, built by Jason and his family — the exotic livestock side that didn't exist before 2016. Same family. Same Ohio dirt. Different operations.
Long before the first bison, this family worked Ohio ground — back to Frank and Malinda, then Grover and Viola, then Bub and Rea, then Jim. Five generations of Ohio dirt, the same work ethic, the same green paint — ending with Jason. S&S Acres is the next chapter.
S&S Acres is its own ranch within a farming family. Five names you'll see come up again and again, plus Roger, our hired hand who walks the fences, runs the equipment, and handles the field work. Jason's dad still comes around the ranch at 80 — walking the alleyways and pastures to stay moving and keep a watchful eye on the stock. His mom is in everything they built; she passed last year, and the place still carries her.
S&S Acres sits on 183 acres of Ohio pasture in Lima — rolling, well-watered ground the family acquired in 2010, the newest chapter in five generations of Ohio farming. Hay crew runs through the summer. Calving runs through the spring. Winter feeding through the cold.
We are not an agritourism operation. We don't run tours or events. The animals are working livestock, not attractions, and the land is a real farm — not a backdrop. That said, breeding stock buyers and serious customers are welcome by appointment.
We run four distinct species programs, and each one has its own MD — a named anchor animal that fronts the program. Tonka anchors the bison. Hurricane anchors the antlered side — elk and red deer. Zeus anchors the exotic cattle — Highland and Watusi. Russell anchors the yak. The MD is a wink at the surgeon side — four specialists, one ranch, same standards across the board. Tap any one to see how that program is run.
The surgeon part isn't decoration. The OR taught Jason a way of working — pedigree before procedure, document everything, follow the standard of care, refuse to cut corners on what matters — and the ranch is run the same way. Antlered pedigrees traced back generations. Genetics tracked across every named breeder. Best practices on testing, calving, processing. Protocol, documentation, repeatability.
Every named breeding animal carries an engraved ear tag with the animal's name, the S&S Acres logo, and our brand. Not generic plastic — individual identity.
CWD-clean herd since inception, most recently tested February 2026. Brucellosis and tuberculosis negative — not just the bison, the entire ranch, every program. Routine testing on schedule, documented every time.
Routine care, treatment protocols, breeding work, and herd-health documentation run through Dr. Taylor Engle at Minton Veterinary Service in Chickasaw, Ohio. Engle's been our vet since the first bison stepped off the trailer in 2016 — exotics background from his training, direct line for protocol decisions.
Named animals are photographed from birth, tracked through their seasons, antler measurements logged year over year. The provenance is real because the records are real.
Antlered pedigrees are traced back three generations on both the sire and dam side — Inferno legacy genetics on the elk, EWA-registered red deer, named sires and dams documented end-to-end. Genetics are tracked, not assumed.
Pasture-raised, never feedlot-finished, with a supplemental ration. That distinction matters to us — and to the people who care how their meat is raised.
Bison are processed at 3D Meats in Dalton, Ohio, then the meat ships to Whiskey Hill Smokehouse in Hubbard, Oregon for jerky production. USDA-inspected. Packaging always runs through Belmark.
When demand outpaces our own herd, we partner with Dakota Pure Bison in South Dakota — pasture-raised under the same principles, never feedlot.
The herd lives on Ohio pasture through the green months and on tested-quality hay through the winter. The supplemental ration is sourced and chosen with the same scrutiny that goes into everything else — what goes in the animal sets what comes out.
Outside the four mascot programs, the ranch is also home to a growing group of KuneKune heritage pigs and a couple of donkeys. They're not in the jerky lineup — they're just part of the family of animals that make S&S Acres feel like a working farm.
The KuneKune crew is Moose (boar), Waffles (gilt), Chorizo (boar), and Jalapeño (gilt). The pigs fill their day with endless naps, full bellies, and head scratches from anyone who walks past. They leave a lasting impression on everyone they meet — and they're always good for a laugh.
Jet and Jersey are Delanie's donkeys — Christmas presents about four years back; chaos ever since. You always know where they are — if they're not running each other through the pasture, they're screaming loud enough to echo down the next fence line (donkey brays don't sound like the movies). They follow you around demanding chin scratches and chill out with the Highland cows. Whether the Highlands enjoy the company is up for debate.
The KuneKunes rotate through pasture with the cattle.
KuneKunes are available for sale when we have stock on the ground. They're outside the main breeding stock programs — if you're interested, reach out through the contact page.
Shopping the jerky line, inquiring about breeding stock, or just want to talk about the operation? Pick a path.
