Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Savory Beefalo Ragout

What you need:
1 1/2 lbs. beefalo chuck or bottom round, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. water
1 can (8 1/2 oz) stewed tomatoes
3 sprigs parsley
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried sage leaves
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
6 small onion
3 lg. carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2 inch slices
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen lima beans, broken apart

Brown beefalo pieces in oil in Dutch oven; remove beefalo. Drain fat from Dutch oven, reserving 2 Tbsp. Return 2 Tbsp. fat to Dutch oven. (If necessary, add enough oil to measure 2 Tbsp.)
Stir in flour. Coor and stir over low heat until smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Add water. Heat to boiling, stirring contantly. Stir in beefalo, tomatoes, parsley, salt, thyme, sage, pepper, bay leaves and garlic. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 1 hour.
Add onions and carrots. Cover and simmer until beefalo and vegetables are tender, 40 to50 minutes. Stir in frozen beans. Cover and simmer until beans are tender, about 10 minutes.
6 servings

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Springtime

Officially Spring isn't far away and it seems everyone is ready for it.  Most people I have talked with feel Winter has been extra long this year, hopefully it is about over.  With the coming of Spring has been a crop of new calves and the subsequent planning for next year.  As of this posting we have twenty five (25) yearling heifers, born from February to June 2010 that are available to sell.   The older heifers could be put with a bull by early June; the younger ones I would recommend waiting so they could calve in early Fall 2012. We believe these are fine quality animals that would form good foundation beefalo stock.
In addition to these yearlings we have a number of older heifers due to freshen with their first calves this year.  They could start calving by early April.
We also have eight (8) steers that weigh approximately 450 to 600 pounds that we would sell now or keep , if spoken for,  until they reach slaughter weight.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Reasons to Raise Beefalo

Excellent Foraging Ability- Beefalo have the ability to better untilize roughage which results in lower maintenance.
Strong Hybrid Vigor- Bison X Bovine - These benefits are derived from years of natural selesction on the bison side and accumulative years of selective breeding on the domestic side.
Calving Ease- Unassisted calving is an inherited trait from the bison.
Hardiness- Beefalo are adaptable to climatic changes. Due to their ability to perspire, they do well in hot climates; and because they have a dense hair coat for insulation, they thrive equally well in cold climates.
Fertility- Proper balance of bison and bovine genetics creates a fertile animal for both natural service and artificial insemination.
Less Waste When Processing- Beefalo inherit an extremely thin external fat covering which leads to less fat tossed into the barrel by processors.
High Quality Meat- Beefalo produce a meat that is high in protien, yet low in fat, cholesterol and calories. Beefalo meat is as tender as regular beef without marbled fat.