What's your Beef?

While recently traveling to Denver, my daughter and I made a stop in a little town outside of Vale, Co.  The only place open (that we could see from the highway) was a Dairy Queen and a place called "Kum and Go".   It wasn't a hard choice.  While standing in line, dumbfoundedly staring at the menu, a man approached us and whispered that we should try a place down the street that had the "best burgers in town".  I figured he probably owned the place, but what the heck, it couldn't be worse than eating dinner at a Dairy Queen or the "Kum and Go".

Within 30 minutes I found myself chowing down on the best burger in town, a buffalo burger too!  I didn't want the Elk burger, not because of the high price tag, but because I wasn't completely sure that elk burgers were even legal, so I stuck with the buffalo.  

So here's the deal on Buffalo meat:

Buffalo was the primary meat source to the Plains Indians until millions of the buffalo were slaughtered back in the late 1800's for their fur. 
Buffalo meat has 70% to 90% less fat compared to beef
On average it has 50% less cholesterol.
It is higher in protein, iron and all the omega and amino acids.
They are naturally resistant to disease and grow faster than domestic animals,  so they don't need all the antibiotics and growth hormones that are typically given to beef cattle.

What's more... Buffalo are FARM RAISED on private farms, open grassland and graze on natural grass. Because they are not fed manufactured feed, there is no current concern about mad cow disease.  I was also told that unlike sheep and beef, they don't defecate in their own water source.  (Wow, they're smart too?)

Why is Buffalo meat so expensive?  Supply and demand.  Did you know that there are more beef slaughtered in the United States EACH day than buffalo in an ENTIRE year?  There just aren't that many buffalos and there are no large agri-business farms in the Buffalo business, THANK GOODNESS!

So, the next time you have the option of having beef vs. buffalo, make the healthier choice and support your local buffalo farmer at the same time!