Producer

Today they have a herd of around 100 animals including cows, bulls, young calves, yearlings, and 2 year-olds. Meat is sold year-round through the “Log Cabin Store” and at various retail stores.

The Bredthauers’ customer base has grown from curious samplers to loyal repeat customers who appreciate the quality and the health benefits of their meat.

In summary, the Bredthauers say this business has certainly not been a gold mine. But more important than the money, they started it as a family project. It has been a good learning experience for their children who have been a vital part of the workforce. Their family has grown in number as well as size over the past 20 years. Daughters Brooke and Kelsey have grown up with the buffalo.

They now have grandchildren who recognize “bison” and will tell you what a bison says.

The business has not been all sunshine. There have been droughts, market swings, learning curves, and lots of hard work. But the Bredthauers see it as a way of using the resources God has given them and multiplying them for the good of the land, the environment, and for the health of other people. And best of all, it’s a way of life they enjoy as a family and can share with others.

The herd grows fat during the summer and fall feeding on grass. During the fall they turn dark brown as their winter coat comes in. Their metabolism rate drops and they survive partially on the fat they have accumulated during the fall. If there is sufficient grass left from the summer they do not require any additional feed during the winter. If needed, they are fed prairie hay, but they require only about half the amount of food required during the summer. Snow and cold weather don’t bother them; they will face into a storm rather than try to move away from it. They also tolerate heat well but are bothered by flies and biting insects.

The uniqueness of the bison business attracts the interest of others. The Bredthauers have been interviewed and featured in newspapers, magazines, television stories, and on public radio. They do not offer formal tours but do welcome visitors to the ranch if they call ahead. You can even see some of these differences between grass-fed and conventional practices. Meat is dark red (the fat is not marbled in), fat is yellow from the added vitamins from green grass. However, past decades of increasingly refined and “sterilized” manufactured food products have led us to believe white (flour, sugar, fat, oils, etc) are somehow purer and therefore more to be desired. The livestock feeding industry has convinced us that meat must be marbled with fat to be tender. Our palates have become accustomed to the rather bland flavor of animals fed a standardized ration. So instead of thinking, “White is pure”, think “Color is nutrition and flavor”. https://www.straightarrowbison.com/about-bison