This is an excellent time to consider entering the buffalo/bison business. The price of live breeding stock is signifcantly less than it was at the peak in 1998. Yet, the price being offered for meat animals is steadily increasing.

Some of the leading chefs across the country have discovered the wonderful flavor that bison meat added to their recipes. Bison tastes great and falls into the gourmet or specialty meat category. Research has shown that bison is a highly nutrient dense food because of the proportion of protein, fat, minerals, and fatty acids to its caloric value.

Bison is a natural product raised without growth hormones. Bison is lower in fat, calories and cholesterol than beef, pork, or skinless chicken. Bison can be found in grocery stores, butcher shops, and restaurants around the country. Steaks, roasts, fajitas, burgers, hotdogs, and even ravioli are available. Bison meat is a healthy and delicious alternative with unlimited culinary possibilities.

Several factors are contributing to the demand for deliciously healthy buffalo:

1. Growing numbers of consumers are discovering the direct connection between diet and health, and are actively seeking flavorful meats produced without the use of growth hormones or low-levels of antibiotics.

2. The rising popularity of high-protein/low-carbohydrate diets is sparking consumer interest in new types of red meat.

3. A growing legion of restaurants are adding a variety of recipes featuring all types of bison cuts...everything from brisket to short ribs.

All of this means that the bison industry is successfully transitioning from a "breeders' market" to a "meat market." This transition bodes well for the long-term sustainability for ranchers, processors and marketers alike.

The other red meat boasts less fat than most white meats (even chicken), and has a taste Gourmet magazine touts as richer in flavor than beef.

In addition, since bison exclusively dine on wild grass, when compared to factory-raised beef, the planetary benefits are as big as the plains are wide.  
     

• The FDA allows zero antibiotics or hormones in bison meat.
• All bison, including those raised commercially, graze naturally off of grass, renewing and stimulating new grass growth. By contrast, farmed beef creates an oil-consuming machine due to the energy used to produce the massive amounts of grain or corn feed they’re fed.
• Iron and protein. One serving of bison adds 69% more iron and 25% more protein to your diet than the same serving of beef.
• Bison contains fewer calories and just one quarter of the amount of fat found in beef, and is lower in cholesterol.