Where the Buffalo Roam

Photo Credit: Karolyn O'Cull

Where the Buffalo Roam: bringing buffalo back to Coastal Georgia

LeeAnna Tatum editor@southernsoil.org

Buffalo are iconic of the American West, conjuring up images of teepees and hunting parties, cowboys and the majestic Rocky Mountains, pioneers, wagons and miles of prairie land. But before European settlement of North America, buffalo were quite at home here in Southeast Georgia. In fact, one of the largest bison skull fossils was recently discovered near Brunswick.

Not far from there, just a little North of Darien, you don’t have to imagine what it might have looked like hundreds of years ago as the bison grazed on Georgia grasslands and longleaf pine savannahs. Visible from I-95, these historic bovines have made themselves at home again and sometimes catch passersby off guard when glimpsed through the trees.

These aren’t wild buffalo, of course. The relatively small herd of about 30 or so are raised for their meat by owner and rancher Troy Bivens of Georgia Buffalo Ranch. Bivens started the ranch about six years ago on a piece of property he had planned to develop - before the bottom fell out of the real estate market that is. He bought the property just prior to the 2008 downturn. With little success to be had in development at the time, Bivens decided to put the property to use in a radically different way.

Bivens had no experience ranching, but had spentsome time on his uncle’s spread up North andfound the idea appealing. He talked the idea over

with some friends who owned a restaurant on St. Simons and were interested in serving buffalo meat. Bivens asked around and found several other restaurants also interested and made the decision to move forward in his new venture.

With a positive outlook and a great sense of humor, Bivens has lived and learned through some tough lessons. Not the least of which was a dramatic fall while building his barn that left him in a coma for nearly two months.

Photo Credit: Karolyn O'Cull

Not all of the lessons have been quite as hard fought. After a few attempts at herding buffalo, Bivens learned that it was best to cut off the power to the electric fencing - it made escaping from a charging beast much less painful.

Bivens also discovered the importance of including a donkey in the herd after losing several young calves to the local coyotes. Advised by other ranchers nearby to include this natural means of defense, Bivens did so and hasn’t seen a coyote since.

It also didn’t take long for the rancher to discover that there’s a natural curiosity surrounding his little herd of unusual bovines and soon he was able to set up tours of the ranch: taking groups out in raised buggies.

Not exactly as docile and domesticated as their bovine cousin the cow, buffalo are impressive jumpers with a six foot vertical and the ability to run about 40 miles per hour. To keep tourists and guides at a safe distance, the buggies are raise to six feet off the ground. At this height, humans and buffalo can interact safely.

With a beautiful barn, built with celebrations in mind, and a lovely pastoral setting, Bivens is also developing the ranch as a wedding and events venue for those seeking a rustically elegant locale.

But back to the buffalo.

Buffalo meat is regaining popularity here in the US and is finding its way onto restaurant menus and dinner tables alike. But with the increased demand for buffalo - buyers beware! Not all bison is created equal.

Photo Credit: Karolyn O'Cull

Just like the beef market, some commercial producers have moved toward feedlots and grain-finishing with buffalo. This practice, like with beef, not only increases the stress on the animal but also changes the nutritional benefits to the humans who eat it.

Grass fed and finished bison, like that from Georgia Buffalo Ranch, is an excellent source of lean protein. According to Natural Food Benefits website, there are many reasons to choose to include grass-fed buffalo in your diet. Below is an excerpt from the site:

• Grass-fed Bison provides nutrient dense, low fat, low cholesterol meat with as many Omega-3s per serving as salmon, and three to six times the amount of omega-3s as grain fed animals.

• It contains the highest-known levels of the fat-blocker and anti-carcinogen, CLA (conjugated linolaic acid). Research on CLA is showing evidence that CLA has the potential to reduce the risk of cancer, obesity, diabetes, and a number of immune disorders.

• It also has high concentrations of selenium, a natural trace element that acts as a mood elevator. The original “happy meal”. In research conducted by Dr. Martin Marchello at the Carrington Research Extension Center, grass fed Bison was determined to contain as much as four times more selenium than grain fed Bison.

Photo Credit: Karolyn O'Cull