Bison Back on US Plains and Plates

Buffalos are back on the Great Plains, signaling a boom in bison burgers and other "healthy meat" choices. Ranchers say the animal, a symbol of the American West, is also helping revive the unique ecosystem.

Published

7 months ago

Categories

US

Topics

United States

Places

United States of America, South Dakota

Transcript

SCRIPT: Free to roam this sea of grass, American bison are a symbol of the Great Plains. Wild buffalo once roamed here by the millions before being wiped out during westward expansion. Today, they are found almost exclusively on ranches -- but their numbers are growing. SOUNDBITE 1 Silvia Christen (woman), Executive Director South Dakota Stockgrowers Association (English, 9 sec): "I definitely feel that the market for bison is booming right now. It’s a strong market and it’s gone up strongly in the last few years and it’s holding pretty steady right now." Two hundred thousand animals are being raised for consumption in the US. Production is double what it was five years ago. Consumers are acquiring a taste for a meat billed as a healthy alternative to beef. SOUNDBITE 2 Kevin Weiland, MD (man), FACP, Author, "The Dakota Diet" (English, 11 sec): "Bison is the salmon of the prairies. Everyone brags about how salmon is rich in omega 3 fats, very low saturated fat, loaded with other nutrients, macro nutrients buffalo is the same thing." Bison meat sells for nearly twice the price of beef - an added incentive for ranchers. But raising the animals is costly, too -- they can be aggressive and farms have to be adapted to house them. But some ranchers see bison as a vital natural part of the plains ecosystem – and say it’s as much getting back to American roots, as it is big profits. SOUNDBITE 3 Dan O’Brian (man), Bison Rancher (English, 21 sec): "All they have in them is water, sunshine, grass, that’s it. That’s it. It’s as simple as that. There are no hormones, no antibiotics, there’s no confinement and we’re trying to get as close to a natural setting as is possible in the 21st century." Modern industrial agricultural practices dominate in the nation’s heartland. The bison boom could play a part in bringing parts of this unique ecosystem closer to its natural state. -------------- SHOTLIST: RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA, JULY 20, 2012, SOURCE: AFPTV 1. Wide, Buffalo grazing on the plains. 2. Close, American buffalo. 3. Wide, Buffalo grazing on the plains. 4. Mid, Buffalo grazing on the plains. 5. Wide, Silvia Christen enters the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association building. 6. Mid, Door to South Dakota Stockgrowers Association building closing. 7. SOUNDBITE 1 Silvia Christen 8. Close, Bison steak on a grill. 9. Close, Bison burger patty on a grill. 10. Mid, Burger plate placed on pass bar. 11. Wides, Dinners in Tally’s Silver Spoon restaurant. RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA, JULY 20, 2012, SOURCE: AFPTV 1. SOUNDBITE 2 Kevin Weiland, MD 2. Mid, Delivery man places cases of bison meat on the floor. 3. Mid, Domestic buffalo. 4. Wide, Buffalo running. 5. Mid, Buffalo running. 6. Mid, Buffalo grazing in a pasture of grass. 7. Wide, Buffalo grazing in a pasture of grass. 8. Mid, Buffalo grazing in a pasture of grass. 9. SOUNDBITE 3 Dan O’Brian 10. Mid - Buffalo calf grazing with herd. RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA, JULY 21, 2012, SOURCE: AFPTV 1. VAR, Combing at-work passes a cemetery. RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA, JULY 20, 2012, SOURCE: AFPTV 1. Wide, Buffalo grazing in a pasture of grass. 2. Wide, Buffalo grazing in a pasture of grass.