Category Archive

The Economist recently published this great article about reclaiming the Montana grasslands for native buffalo. It is fantastic to see like-minded groups working towards returning the buffalo to their home territory. This article tells a great story about these efforts and how with luck America will have is own version of Africa’s Serengeti. http://www.economist.com/node/21550292   Wild Idea Office

Hello Everyone, We had an incredible year in 2011 thanks to all of the dedicated support we received from our loyal customers.  Our company grew and we made some big strides forward, all while continuing to be true to our commitment of restoring the grasslands and providing the best buffalo available.  CNN Money caught wind of the momentum that we have had and published the following article. http://money.cnn.com/2012/03/13/smallbusiness/buffalo-million/index.htm?iid=HP_River Thank you again to everyone for all of your support and we look forward to continuing to provide you with our fantastic buffalo. Wild Idea Office

Posted by The Rapid City Journal Author Dan O’Brien of Hermosa doesn’t need to worry about reading this year’s One Book South Dakota selection. His own book, “Buffalo for the Broken Heart: Restoring Life to a Black Hills Ranch,” has been chosen for 2009. O’Brien said he is honored to receive the distinction.

Posted by Franny www.GrassFedParty.org We all know that the buffalo were the original grazers of the Great Plains. Cattle ranchers who practice rotational grazing try to mimic the movement of buffalo on grasslands. Buffalo were nearly killed to extinction by the turn of the last century, but in the last couple decades there has been a movement among ranchers and conservationists to bring the buffalo back. [read the full interview]

By Lisa Donovan Chicago Sun Times As we march toward the end of the summer grilling season, perhaps bored with the same-old chicken, steak, pork or vegetable skewers, my thoughts turn to the American buffalo. No need to roam 1,000 miles to South Dakota for a taste of bison — the official name of the animal — when it can be enjoyed right here in Chicago. The low-fat, low-cholesterol red meat can be found at specialty stores, including Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods locations in the city and suburbs, as well as Paulina Market, 3501 N. Lincoln, where bison steaks, sausages and ground beef are offered.

The Snail These native grazers are more than just meat. Bison have traveled a long trail in the last century: from national icon to endangered species to between the buns in ski lodges al over the West, finally landing in the Ark of Taste this year. Bison – also known as buffalo – is finally getting acknowledged for its sweet flavor and nutritious attributes. It is also a sustainably produced protein that improves grassland ecosyste3ms because, well, it really isn’t produced at all. Buffalo are wild, and over the millennia they have developed a relationship with the American prairie that could benefit, and to a small degree has benefited, both humans and the environment – as long as we leave the bison alone.

Slow Foods Diary of a journey through a landscape whose unchanging originality depends, to a large extent, on injections of chemical fertilizer and herbicides. What to do? October 5 2005. Outside on the porch Dan O’Brien flips the burgers over on the gas barbeque with practiced ease and just a couple of minutes later the bald rancher and writer drops one of them onto my plate next to the potatoes with a look of deep satisfaction behind his round metal rimmed glasses. Though it seems to be a rerun of a great American cliché, something’s very different this time. The reason I came to O’Brien’s Cheyenne River Ranch a good hour’s drive Southeast of Rapid City, South Dakota, is that he’s the buffalo guru of the West. Nobody is more closely identified with the revival of the buffalo, or American bison, than he is. I take a bite of the buffalo burger and suddenly my nervous system’s overloaded by all the signals pouring in. I can’t put names to the countless nuances of flavour, bur I know I’m tasting the land of the Lakota Sioux, of Crazy Horse, Red Cloud and Sitting Bull. What does it mean for our very different world today though.

By Ed Levine Bon Appetit THEY ARE THE DREAMERS, the restless wanderers, the visionaries among us. One grows peaches so sweet and juicy they should be used as currency. Another battles a life-threatening illness yet still makes chocolate every bit as good as the chocolate the French or the Belgians make. They have defied conventional wisdom, and in so doing have provided food lovers with something to talk about. How have they done it? With sheer willpower, a fair amount of science, an abiding curiosity, and a little luck. Here are their stories.

By Marian Burros NY Times The meat of the majestic American buffalo may not be quite as tender as aged prime beef, with all its marbling fat, but it is just as juicy and it has a deep, rich flavor. And there is nothing overly chewy about it. Anyone who loves prime beef but eats it only on rare occasions will find the grass-fed bison meat from the WILD IDEA BUFFALO COMPANY an excellent alternative, with less fat and fewer calories.

By Lynne Rossetto Kasper The Splendid Table (Audio Transcript) This week it’s a saga of money, ecology and a struggle to survive on the South Dakota prairie. Dan O’Brien, author of the autobiographical Buffalo for the Broken Heart, is a cattle rancher who asked some difficult questions and found some unexpected answers. One led to the restoration of life to his Black Hills ranch.

By Stephanie Simon LA Times While many ranchers pen bison in feedlots before slaughter, free-range advocates hope to create market for steaks with sass. WHITEWOOD, S.D.-The buffalo bunch up on the ranch out here, big and very dark against the flat forever of the sky. They rip at the prairie grass. They call to one another in a dusky purr. Dan O’Brien watches, content.