In the News
The Return of the American Bison
You are going to love this short film, "The Return of the American Bison," produced by Nebraska Educational Television. It features our very own Dan O'Brien, with the majority of the bison footage filmed on our ranch. The drone shots are spectacular, and they will give you a better idea of where your buffalo meat comes from and how it is raised. You don’t want to miss it!
What Is Regenerative Agriculture?
There are many words that individuals, companies, farmers and ranchers use to help inform you, the consumer, on what makes them different. Inevitably, those words (natural, organic, sustainable, free range, etc) are hijacked by master marketers who put their spin on them and attach them to products that simply do not measure up.
South Dakota Public Broadcasting: A Conversation with Yvon Chouinard & Dan O'Brien
As the year winds to a close, we reflect back on all that we have been able to accomplish. It is all driven by you, our caring customers who care about how your food is raised. We truly appreciate your support and offer you heartfelt thanks for giving us the opportunity to continue our greater mission of prairie conservation.
Yvon Chouinard and Dan O'Brien discuss what drives them in their mission in an interview with SDPB. Have a listen.
Rapid City Journal: Wild Idea Gets Ink and Praise
A well known businessman who spoke Saturday in Rapid City praised the role of a South Dakota bison ranch in sparking an agricultural revolution.
Yvon Chouinard, founder of the outdoor clothing company Patagonia, participated in a public discussion of environmentalism with Dan O’Brien, founder of Wild Idea Buffalo Company.
Two Announcements!
Wild Idea Buffalo Co. was this years recipient of their communities Sustainability award!
Food & Wine: "A Modern Day Bison Primer"
Our mission of prairie restoration and field harvesting was recently highlighted in a Food & Wine article by Caroline Abels and Civil Eats titled, A Modern Bison Primer.
Respecting Our National Mammal
Some groups and recent media coverage claim that the National Bison Legacy Act, declaring the Bison as America’s National Mammal that was signed into law last week, is more greenwashing than conservation. It is hard to argue that there is no greenwashing involved in the legislation that was backed by an array of commercial interests. But arguing that there is no conservation value in bringing national attention to the plight of the bison, who were reduced from tens of millions in the days before Europeans moved onto the continent to perhaps a few hundred at the turn of the twentieth century, is equally difficult to defend.
Wild Idea Featured in New York Times: Two Approaches to Raising Buffalo Meat
Living forty miles from small town engenders a sense to isolation. A guy can get the feeling that no one know what you are doing or cares what you are thinking. Getting a call from a NY Times reporter is a seismic event that leaves you wondering if you imagined it. When the photographer shows up it seems more real, but after they drive out of the driveway, the eerie silence descends again.
Introducing Buffalo Jerky from Patagonia Provisions
Dear Wild Idea Buffalo Customers,
About five years ago we received a call from Patagonia stating that they were interested in starting an environmentally sustainable food line for their future sister company, Patagonia Provisions. They were specifically interested in us making Buffalo Jerky for them.