Paradise Valley Buffalo Ranch
by James and Simon
The Schoolcraft First Graders want to help the Paradise Valley Buffalo Ranch sell more meat. We want people to buy local food. We emailed the Paradise Valley Buffalo Ranch a list of questions. Below you will find the answers.
Website:
Paradise Valley Buffalo Ranch.
Website: www.bisonisbetter.com
How much does your bison meat cost?
You’ll see on our website that there is a list of different cuts of bison meat and their prices. Here’s the list of our prices that we use on our ranch and at Bemidji’s Natural Choice Farmers Market.
We update our prices at least twice a year because our costs can change a lot. One example is what happened this summer. It was very dry and we couldn’t grow enough hay to feed our herd. So we had to buy hay and haul it to our ranch. That cost us a lot more than usual. So our prices may need to be changed so we can make enough money to stay in business.
We have compared the cost of our bison meat to many others who sell. We find our prices are very fair and not too high for our part of the country. Some stores buy our meat from us then sell it. We can sell our meats ourselves at a lower cost than stores can because stores must have a building and employees. Some restaurants in Bemidji also buy our meat then serve it to their customers. If you get to go to a restaurant, be sure to ask if they serve bison meat. If they don’t, maybe they will decide to in the future so you can enjoy it.
What season is the meat ready?
Our meat is ready any time of year. It is just as tasty in the summer as in the winter.
Where is your farm?
Paradise Valley Buffalo Ranch is 4 miles southwest of Bagley, Minnesota. You can find our location using Google Earth. On our website, there is a short description of our farm. We like our location because we have lots of room to raise bison, but we aren’t too far from town. That makes it handy to get supplies.
How old are the bison?
Our bison herd has animals of many different ages. Our calves are born in the spring and early summer, so right now our youngest calf is about 6 months old. Our oldest cow is about 22 years old. We don’t know for sure how long bison can live. Some ranchers say they live until they are over 30 years old!
Why is bison meat healthier than cow’s meat?
Bison meat has several properties that make it healthier than beef. Here’s a whole list:
How do you process your meat?
We take our bison to a processing plant in Miltona, Minnesota. We pay them to do all the processing for us. Miltona is about 120 miles from our ranch but it’s worth the drive. Miltona Meats does a wonderful job of cutting and packaging our meat just the way our customers want it. They are very clean and friendly. The owners work right in the plant so they watch to make sure everything is done correctly.
There’s another reason why Miltona Meats is the right place for us to go. They have a federal inspector who checks all our meat. When the inspector approves it, that gives our meat USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) approval. This allows us to ship our meats all over the United States. It also lets our customers know that our meat meets very high standards. Our customers want the best bison meat they can get for a fair price.
How do you want people to contact you? Your phone number, address or email?
People can contact us by email, telephone, regular mail or by coming to our ranch or seeing us at Bemidji’s Natural Choice Farmers Market.
Here is our information:
Duane & Mary Hayes
15132 346th St.
Bagley, MN 56621
218-694-2290
www.bisonisbetter.com
The Schoolcraft First Graders want to help the Paradise Valley Buffalo Ranch sell more meat. We want people to buy local food. We emailed the Paradise Valley Buffalo Ranch a list of questions. Below you will find the answers.
Website:
Paradise Valley Buffalo Ranch.
Website: www.bisonisbetter.com
How much does your bison meat cost?
You’ll see on our website that there is a list of different cuts of bison meat and their prices. Here’s the list of our prices that we use on our ranch and at Bemidji’s Natural Choice Farmers Market.
We update our prices at least twice a year because our costs can change a lot. One example is what happened this summer. It was very dry and we couldn’t grow enough hay to feed our herd. So we had to buy hay and haul it to our ranch. That cost us a lot more than usual. So our prices may need to be changed so we can make enough money to stay in business.
We have compared the cost of our bison meat to many others who sell. We find our prices are very fair and not too high for our part of the country. Some stores buy our meat from us then sell it. We can sell our meats ourselves at a lower cost than stores can because stores must have a building and employees. Some restaurants in Bemidji also buy our meat then serve it to their customers. If you get to go to a restaurant, be sure to ask if they serve bison meat. If they don’t, maybe they will decide to in the future so you can enjoy it.
What season is the meat ready?
Our meat is ready any time of year. It is just as tasty in the summer as in the winter.
Where is your farm?
Paradise Valley Buffalo Ranch is 4 miles southwest of Bagley, Minnesota. You can find our location using Google Earth. On our website, there is a short description of our farm. We like our location because we have lots of room to raise bison, but we aren’t too far from town. That makes it handy to get supplies.
How old are the bison?
Our bison herd has animals of many different ages. Our calves are born in the spring and early summer, so right now our youngest calf is about 6 months old. Our oldest cow is about 22 years old. We don’t know for sure how long bison can live. Some ranchers say they live until they are over 30 years old!
Why is bison meat healthier than cow’s meat?
Bison meat has several properties that make it healthier than beef. Here’s a whole list:
- Low in cholesterol
- Hormone free
- No animal by-products
- Non-allergenic qualities
- Fewer calories than beef
- Up to 25% more protein than beef
- More satisfying than beef
- More essential amino acids
- More essential fatty acids
- Drug & antibiotic free
How do you process your meat?
We take our bison to a processing plant in Miltona, Minnesota. We pay them to do all the processing for us. Miltona is about 120 miles from our ranch but it’s worth the drive. Miltona Meats does a wonderful job of cutting and packaging our meat just the way our customers want it. They are very clean and friendly. The owners work right in the plant so they watch to make sure everything is done correctly.
There’s another reason why Miltona Meats is the right place for us to go. They have a federal inspector who checks all our meat. When the inspector approves it, that gives our meat USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) approval. This allows us to ship our meats all over the United States. It also lets our customers know that our meat meets very high standards. Our customers want the best bison meat they can get for a fair price.
How do you want people to contact you? Your phone number, address or email?
People can contact us by email, telephone, regular mail or by coming to our ranch or seeing us at Bemidji’s Natural Choice Farmers Market.
Here is our information:
Duane & Mary Hayes
15132 346th St.
Bagley, MN 56621
218-694-2290
www.bisonisbetter.com