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Michael and Gina Schneider of rural Cody said they have noticed a bit more buzz around
the buffalo industry since the report of the country's very first case of mad cow disease –
also known as bovine spongiform encephalopothy – surfaced two days before Christmas. The
Schneiders own Big Skull Buffalo Ranch, Inc., and sell buffalo meat locally and
nationally.
"I think the impact of this on the buffalo industry will depend on how much the mad cow
thing is blown up, how much is made of it all," Michael said.
Gina pointed not only to the recent domestic mad cow announcement, but also to the report
of BSE-positive cattle in Canada some months ago, and the fact that people just want to
eat more healthily as reasons for the latest surge in buffalo demand.
"When the Canadian border was closed a while back, beef prices shot up," she said. "A lot
of consumers and restaurants looked to buffalo meat as a cheaper and more healthy alternative
to beef."
Dave Carter, director of the National Bison Association in Denver, said that BSE has
never been found in buffalo. He added that traditional production and processing practices
utilized in the bison industry make buffalo meat products the perfect choice for consumers
looking for a tasty alternative to beef.
"Food safety is on the minds of consumers, but we also know that customers don't want to
sacrifice taste," Carter said. "Deliciously healthy buffalo meets all of the criteria of
today's health-conscious and taste-conscious consumer."
Carter said bison producers have long been concerned about feeding practices and processing
procedures that can mitigate the integrity of the American food system.
"Accordingly, our industry code of ethics prohibits the use of feed containing animal by-products,"
he said. Feeding ruminant by-products to other ruminants is generally regarded as the catalyst for
the spread of BSE among animals and was outlawed in the late 1990s.
"In addition, bison are processed in smaller facilities, which reduces the co-mingling of
meat from different animals," Carter added.
The Big Skull Buffalo Ranch, Inc., field dresses market buffalo on-site under the close
supervision of a certified State of Wyoming meat inspector.
"The meat inspector and butcher come out to the ranch and we field dress right here," Gina
Schneider said. "The inspector checks everything from start to finish."
And this isn't one or two animals a year the meat inspector checks, either. The Schneiders,
who run between 70 and 100 head up the South Fork, say they ship out an average of 30
animals per year via the retail and wholesale markets. The operation markets over the
Internet and by telephone, but most business comes via that time-tested tool: word of
mouth.
"A lot of our national business comes from folks who have driven through Cody and
dropped by to visit on a whim, or friends and relatives of people who have done that,"
Gina said. "Word of mouth is still the best way."
If the mad cow thing does have an effect, Michael out at Big Skull said the industry is
ready.
"Buffalo is typically a high-end specialty product," he said. "But, if America is worried
about beef and needs somewhere else to turn, we're ready for them."
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