What’s the difference between a buffalo and a bison?

People around the world often use the words “bison” and “buffalo” interchangeably, but they are two completely different things. These differences have largely evolved due to the different climates faced by each species. 

Bison are from the much colder climates of North America and Europe. We distinguish two subspecies of the North American Bison: the plains bison and the wood bison

True Buffalos are the Cape Buffalo and Water Buffalo, found in the warmer climates of Asia and Africa.

Bison and Buffalo both belong to the Family Bovidae, as do domestic cattle.

How much do bison weigh? 

A mature bison bull will weigh approximately 2,000 pounds while a mature bison cow will weigh approximately 1,100 pounds.

How fast can bison run? 

Bison can run at speeds up to 40 MPH (64 kmh).

What do Bison eat?

Bison are considered a keystone species. The way they graze and interact with their pastures contribute to healthy grasslands. 

Compared to Cattle which feed just about 26 different types of grass, bison are known to take about 146 different plants and grasses as their food source. It is for this reason, that bison take maximum use of all-natural plants available on pasture, bush, and treed terrain.

Because bison are constantly on the move and a preference for grasses they leave behind habitat for other species. Their wallowing and interaction with the land is essential to support and grow the number of species on the land they graze.

What are the nutritional benefits of Bison meat?

Bison meat is a nutritionally superior red meat. It is natural without growth hormones, steroids, drugs or chemical residue. Bison meat is extremely low in fat with 1/3 less fat than beef. A single serving of bison provides much of your daily protein, iron and zinc requirements, plus most of the antioxidant selenium your body needs each day. Besides all the above making bison the perfect red meat, it is extremely delicious and tasty.

Bison are raised and processed without additives, preservation, steroids, growth hormones or drug residues. Bison spend the majority of their life grazing on forage and some producers finish their bison on grass while others finish on grains.

Are Bison an extinct or an endangered species?

No to both questions. At the turn of the century, there were as few as 800 to 1000 bison in North America. Public organizations and private ranchers then began to nurture the herds back. Bison are not extinct; they number over 500,000 today and are on a steady increase due to the popularity of bison products, and the benefits of raising bison for the environment and ranchers across North America.

What’s the difference between a co-product and a by-product?

Co-products can be thought of as “main” products or materials, made by a deliberate production process. Bison meat and leather are examples of our co-products.

Whereas by-products are materials or products that are incidentally made as part of the production process for another product. For example, this could be offcuts of bison meat that are not intended for human consumption but could be used to make pet food.

What’s soil health?

Soil quality is the capacity of a certain kind of soil to function within natural or managed ecosystem boundaries, sustain plant and animal productivity, maintain the quality of water and air and support human health and habitation.

What’s topsoil?

As the name suggests, topsoil is the top layer of soil—usually around the first 5 to 10 inches. It is the layer where plants grow so it should be rich in organic matter and nutrients. Although due to human activity this is not always the case.

Can you explain regenerative agriculture?

Regenerative agriculture aims to regenerate the world’s grasslands and the livelihoods of their inhabitants through holistic management. It was developed by Allan Savory and his work into grassland degradation and desertification. Today, it’s a global movement spearheaded by the Savory Institute.

What’s holistic management?

Holistic management refers to an approach to agricultural resource management developed by Allan Savory. It centres around managing (not controlling) complexity in ecosystems and making decisions that are beneficial for all. It includes planned grazing, land planning, financial planning and ecological monitoring.

You can find out more about it on the Savory Institute’s website.

What’s rotational grazing?  

Rotational grazing is a system where a large pasture is divided into smaller paddocks allowing livestock to be moved from one paddock to the other easily. Using this method livestock are concentrated on a smaller area of the pasture for a few days then moved to another section of pasture. This movement allows the grazed paddock a rest period that permits forages to initiate regrowth, renew carbohydrate stores, and improve yield and persistency.  

Source: University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment 

How do you recruit your ranchers?

We form partnerships with ranchers interested in adopting regenerative agriculture practices and committed to improving the land they farm for all its inhabitants.

What’s the Canadian Grading System about?

The first bison grading system was developed in the late 50's and early 1960 but never officially recognized or applied.

A new system for grading bison meat was developed by the bison industry in the 1990’s as 

• The Bison industry developed and grew rapidly.

• Grading would assist in providing a consistent product to the purchaser.

• It also provides a marketing advantage over competing countries.

It has been a great help for the bison meat marketers as it allows them to ensure a quality product is sold to their customers. It is based on the beef grading system but it takes into account some of the inherent differences of a bison carcass.

The main factors used to determine the grade of a bison carcass are: maturity, muscling, colour of fat and lean and fat cover.

Read more here.