Moscow Food Co-op Producer Profile

Lanis Aultz, Buffalo Rancher

by Vicki Reich, from the March 2003 newsletter

Grocers get excited about some strange things. New shelves for the open-face cooler, a packaging change that improves a favorite product's image, or my favorite, cans that change from unstackable to nesting cans (this actually makes my week). So you can imagine how truly excited I was when Lanis Aultz called me the other day and asked if I was interested in local bison meat. Hell, yes, I was interested–and how soon could he bring it in? Seeing how he and his ranch are down in Weippe, Idaho, it wasn't going to be that day. I would have to be patient (not one of my strong points).

This morning, in the middle of the usual Monday craziness, he came with his tall cowboy hat and leather coat looking oh-so-much like a buffalo rancher and immediately sold me on his burgers and roasts. We talked for a while about his philosophy of ranching: he doesn't believe in antibiotics or growth hormones of any kind, he pastures his animals, and keeps his pastures rotated and healthy through natural soil amendments. He started raising bison because the meat is lean, has less cholesterol and more nutrients than beef, and he wanted his family to eat better. It seemed that his philosophy jived with mine.

I found out more about buffalo from the literature he left with me. Buffalo (or more correctly, Bison) has about half the calories of beef and about a sixth the fat. Because his animals are pastured for most of their life (they are fed non-GMO corn for the last 90 days), they contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), both of which show signs of being potent cancer fighters. (Omega-3 fatty acids have been linked with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, depression, ADHD, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, obesity, asthma, and autoimmune disease.) And you get all that just by letting the animal do what it's done for its entire existence: munch on grass. Best yet, it tastes great.

Bison is easy to prepare and can be used like beef. However, since it is so much lower in fat you want to be careful not to overcook it. Broil bison a notch lower in your oven, roast it at a slightly lower temperature, and form your burger patties thicker and don't cook them as long. The taste of bison is sweeter and richer than beef, and with less fat, calories, and cholesterol than even skinless chicken, it will make a tasty and healthy addition to any meat eaters diet. Now if summer would just get here so I could break out the barbecue.

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