For Better Beef, Breed Beefalo

A Washington University Study, (using men, not guinea pigs!) compared Beefalo Beef burgers to regular beef burgers. At the end of a six week consumption test, the average results showed the men's LDL Cholesterol levels, while consuming Beefalo beef, was 15 points lower than when consuming regular beef burgers. No other red meat test has ever lowered the LDL cholesterol level! The same men perferred Beefalo beef burgers over regular beef burgers in taste, tenderness, juiciness and appearance.

Every product we consume has a different genetic makeup- Beef, Chicken, Fish, ect. The Beefalo beef discussed here also has a different genetic makeup, but in appearance and taste, it is the same as a good quality steak you purchase at any local grocery store.

When Beefalo beef was tested by the USDA, it was so nutritionally different, they gave it a separate beef listing. Previously, all beef breeds were in one beef category. The new beef category is Beefalo beef, from Beefalo cattle.

Different gentetics; the development of the Beefalo breed goes back over 150 years, to a point in history where the American Buffalo was in great numbers in the United States. The American Buffalo gives the Beefalo breed its genetic difference with a delicious beef flavor.

The Beefalo breed is a hybrid mix consisting of the following:

• 27% (+/-) 10% - American Buffalo (Bison Species)

• 73% (+/-) 10% - Beef Cow, (Bovine Species)

The New American Breed is now being sought after world wide due to its superior nutritional qualities.

Warning! Beefalo beef is very easy to overcook! It must be cooked at a very little lower temperature and removed from the heat source a little before you think it's done the way you like it. If not, it will be overcooked and dry because it continues to cook after being removed from the heat due to it's low fat content.

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.

How Bison Genetics Improve Beef Meat

1. Decrease total fat content
2. Decrease saturated fat content
3. Decrease cholesterol content
4. Decrease calorie content
5. Decrease percentage of calories derived from fat
6. Increase nutrient density
7. Increase ratio of polysaturated fats to saturated fats
8. Improve flavor, tenderness, juiciness
9. Less fat to trim, less shinkage

Cholesterol In Meat

We are constantly being cautioned to watch our cholesterol. Bad cholesterol is called LDL cholesterol. I have been frustrated by the meat industry not addressing the issue in past years, but when I decided to investigate the issue, I found some interesting facts.

#1- Cholesterol can not be significantley reduced by just lowering the fat in meat. Cholesterol is in the meat, not just the fat. Although Beefalo is up to 4 times leaner than beef and also has 1/2 the fat inside the cells as beef, the real cholesterol lowering aspect of this wonderful meat is that it is crossed with bison.

#2 Bison, is itself very low in cholesterol, but when crossed with a beef animal, drops to nearly 1/2 of that of bison, according the the USDA. This may be due to the heterosis, which is huge between the two species.

#3. Bison has a study done at the University of Utah, that showed that it did not raise LDL in people, whereas beef did. That is impressive, but Beefalo also has a study done at Central Washington University that showed that it actually lowered LDL in high cholesterol men by 15 points in just 30 days. This was further impressive when you realize that the men were still dropping at the end of the 30 day trial. One wonders just how far they would have dropped?

The next time someone mentions that their beef can have lower cholesterol than Beefalo or just as low, you need simply say. Oh really, show me your USDA figures. They of course will have no such figures to show. Guess what? We do. Beefalo has been tested in at least 20 different USDA or Canadian Government labs and comes out looking great every time.

Mark Merrill

Beefalo Meats

Beefalo- The Better Beef

The American Beefalo is truly an American Beef Breed. The only breed developed from a native American animal- the American Bison (Buffalo). The hybrid breed of Beefalo combines the best qualities of bison and beef cattle. Beefalo offers the hardiness of bison with the qaulity beef of cattle that results in the leanest, healthiest, meat consumers can buy- and producers can sell. Unlike well-tendered beef cattle, bison herds have survived for hundreds of years without the benifit of care from herdsmen and veterinarians. Their ability to survive in the face of drought, famine, and other natural threats has produced a breed that is genetically sound and physically superior to traditional beef breeds. Bison gentics give Beefalo a high level of disease resisitance and insect tolerance. Now, modern science offers today's beef producers and consumers the best of both species in the form of the Beefalo breed. The full-blood Beefalo is exactly 3/8 bison and 5/8 bovine, with any of the beef breeds making up the latter part of the equation. For consumers, Beefalo offers a healthier selection of beef. Beefalo is lower in calories, fat and cholesterol than even chicken or fish! USDA tests prove that Beefalo has less cholesterol than chicken, and less fat and more protein than regular beef. Beefalo even meets the dietary recommendations of the American Heart Association. So consumers enjoy all the taste of beef, with added health benefits. Beefalo cattle properly finished have an excellent meat that is tender, tasty, and lean. The exceptional quality of Beefalo meat has been recognized by the United States Department of Agriculture and was acknowledged in 1985, when they approved a 'Roll Stamp' identification of 'Beefalo Beef'.

Why Beefalo Now?

1. Foreign Market
Registrations from Brazil are up. Exports to China are up. New Zealand and Australia are also getting on board. "World" acceptance of Beefalo is advancing even faster outside the US than inside the US. A boom in the export of Beefalo and Beefalo semen is expected in the near future. Whether you export or not, the export business will increase domestic prices of Pure-bred Beefalo.
2. Acceptance of Beefalo
a.) The rapid increase of new and crossed bloodlines produced by current breeders that have Bison markers (and registered by the ABA) has caused some of the previous skeptics to re-evaluate Beefalo.
b.) ABA's new Bison Marker Beefalo Registry, where all foundation and direct input Beefalo must have Bison markers, will increase the acceptance by the scientific community.
c.) Consumer acceptance of Beefalo is very good where Beefalo meat programs have stable supplies (Michigan and Northeast). These successful Beefalo meat programs provide guidelines for others to start successful Beefalo meat programs.

Why Beefalo... for the Breeder (Cow/ Calf Operator)?

Most cattlemen (cow/ calf operators) have come to the realization that it's Dollars per cow and not pounds per calf that should be their goal. Those who are looking for those 700 pound weaning weights are probably not maximizing their income. Calving percentage should be number of weaned calves divided by the number of cows bred. A dead calf at birth does not add anything to the bottom line even of he would have been 700 pounds at weaning. If a cattleman weans 80 calves out of 100 bred cows and they average 550 pounds, he has 440 pounds of calf for every cow bred. If he weans 60 calves out of 100 cows bred they average 700 pounds, he has produced 420 pounds of calf for every cow bred. (The average calving percentage for the US is 67%). We know that the gestation period for the first cross (Beefalo X Bovine) varies from a few days less to a week less than Bovine. This causes these calves to have a lower birth weight and fewer calving problems. Heterogeneity in this cross provides very healthy, fast growing calves. As the Beefalo still have a higher calving rate due to fewer calving problems and Beefalo mamma cows produce higher butter fat milk and faster growing calves. In addition, Beefalo cows do well on less grain or expensive supplements than Bovine. Even if a breeder doesn't intend to take avantage of the benifits to feeders, packers, or consumers, he is still better off brereding Beefalo.

Why Beefalo... for the Feeder?

The experiments conducted by Canada from the early 1900's to the late 1940's all indicate that Bos X Bison had a better conversion of roughage feeds compared to Bovine. This data hasbeen pretty well accepted by cattlemen and scientists alike, but it always has been assumed that Bison and Bovine had similar conversions for grain. However the Koch study cited in this previous post reported that Bos X Bison had higher feed cost for Beefalo even if a normal ration is fed. However, for best results the feeder should feed a higher roughage ration to Beefalo to keep the feed intake up.

Why Beefalo... for the Packer?

There have been numerous studies by the individuals as well as a large study by Texas A&M (late 1970's) that show an increase in both dressing percentage and retail cut percentage . The Koch study cited in this previous post reported a dressing percentage for Bos Taurus of 60.7% and a retail cut percentage of 65.9% and for Bos X Bison 64.1% and 69.1%. If you work out the math for a 1,000 pound live animal, you find that you get about 44 more pounds of retail meat from a Bos Bison than you would get from a Bos Taurus. This 11% more meat per animal means that the packer makes more money from a beefalo even if he pays a higher price from it live.

Why Beefalo... for Consumers?

Beefalo has all the great nutrients associated with red meat, is higher in protein, and is lower in fat and cholesterol than other red meats. Beefalo is lower in fat, cholesterol, and calories than chicken (skin on) and similar to chicken (skin off).

In a 1995 study R.M. Koch (Koch, Jung, Crouse, Varel, and Cundif- The Journal of Animal Science, 1995, 73:1271-1281) reported that Bos X Bison meat was slightly more tender judged by a trained panel, had less connective tissue, and had a greater percentage of intermediate and red fibers compared to beef.