Bison once roamed across Wisconsin in large herds. Now the bison that call Wisconsin home are on about 70 farms across the state. At nearly 6,000 bison, Wisconsin is ranked #7 for domestically produced bison.
Pat Ries is the owner Ries’s Tall Grass where he raises around 100 bison and also serves on the board for the Wisconsin Bison Producers Association. Ries believes that raising bison is less expensive than any other breed livestock.
“Our animals are out on the range all the time” states Ries. Land costs, fencing, and a handling facility are the only costs to a bison producer as the animals do not need to be housed and are grass fed.
Bison has 26% more iron than beef and 87% less fat than beef which makes it an appealing meat. Many producers sell bison meat on their farms though it can be found in stores. Ries encourages individuals who want bison meat to connect with a bison producer to learn more.
Ries believes that bison will become more and more popular. “The future looks pretty good – it’s going to be getting more people to raise the animals” says Ries. That is quite the comeback for an animal that was on the brink of extinction just over a year ago.
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