I’ve always loved bison. My family grew up around them. One of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve ever had was visiting the Białowieża Forest, where I saw bison and wild boar frolic in their natural habitat.

In my efforts to become a true locavore and my belief in the humane and ethical treatment of animals, Jacob and I have decided to research and purchase meat from local farmers. While this isn’t at all unusual for us, we’ve never made a red meat purchase.

I began researching grassfed beef, and stumbled upon bison ranchers. We called and spoke with both types of farmers. Buying a bison after all is a huge commitment. A whole bull yields about 475lbs of meat. After our research, we decided that that’s a commitment we’d love to make (with a little bit of help from our great group of friends!)

And so we’ve purchased half a bison. In July, or August we’ll make the 5 hour trip to the Wisonsin/Canadian border to pick up our beloved bull, and bring him home to share with everyone we love. This is the way it should be.

I can’t begin to tell you about the various emotions going through me. I can say that I have tremendous respect for this animal, perhaps in a way the Native Americans had.

Some facts:

-Bison meat has fewer calories and less cholesterol than chicken, fish, or ostrich.

-Bison has 40% more protein than beef so you can eat 1/3 less volume and still come away satisfied.

-Bison is the only red meat that is non-allergenic.

-Bison are the only mammals not to contract cancer.

-Bison was the main diet of the Plains Indians who:
a. never had cancer
b. never had heart disease or heart attacks
c. lived to be 85 or 90 years old AND, scientists speculate, would have lived to be 125 with adequate dental care.

-Eating 5oz of bison, 3-4 times per week can help most people reduce LDL cholesterol 40 to 45% over a 6-month period.

-Bison can easily outrun and out-maneuver most horses and can jump a 7 foot fence with the agility of a deer.