CONSERVATION

manager. “the biggest challenges early on were
quality and supply. People would try buffalo and then
say, ‘I’m glad I tried it but I’m never going to try it
again.’ You just (let) that happen in a restaurant.”
Unlike beef, there is no USDA grading system for
buffalo. As the market expanded, accountability—
and quality—has risen along with it. Many processors
work directly with producers, offering feedback on
the size of their animals and the cuts of meat. Dutton
has found that small producers often get overwhelmed
by how much meat the restaurant requires, so the
Buckhorn Exchange now purchases most of their
meat from two processors—Castlerock Meats and
Prairie Harvest.
“The perceived value of bison has increased, all
the way from the chef at restaurant to the diner,” said
Steve Hauff. “Because the customer is aware of the
health qualities and flavor qualities, buffalo has gone
up a rung or two in pricing in the last two years. People
are not blinking an eye at the price of buffalo…,”
Which is a boon for new producers. “There’s
only one way to incentivize producers to raise more
animals and that’s through economics,” said Bob
Dineen of Rocky Mountain Natural Meats.
Other barriers to entry for new producers
include the high upfront cost of containment
systems, as buffalo will tear through barbed wire
fencing. “An upside is that bison thrive in really
rugged weather conditions,” said Dineen. “They are
lower management, lower input.” But because bison
are wild animals that subsist mainly on foraging
grasses—although some producers supplement with
grain-based feed when wild forage is low—their
survival and growth depend on the whims of weather.
“Drought years affect us intensely,” said Hauff.
“Buffalo are 99 percent prairie-raised and prairies
(have in recent years been affected by) the most
intense and fastest climate change than anywhere
on earth.”
This volatility in supply affects the price, which
in turn affects the accessibility. The higher price
of buffalo meat is a double-edged sword. Ground
buffalo usually costs twice as much as ground beef.
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