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Local News

Saturday, August 08, 2009

Bison raisers a rare breed in northern Ohio
Millstream
By MICHELLE REITER

STAFF WRITER

Lyle Keller's 35 bison seem peaceful at first glance: They do a lot of standing and chewing, not unlike a cow. They casually swish their tails to keep the flies away.

But Keller has to keep his distance.

"Just keep your hands outside of the fence," he said. "I don't get in there."

Keller, who lives near Arcadia, is one of at least two Hancock County residents raising bison, said Gary Wilson of the Ohio State University Extension Office in Findlay.

"It really is a very unique animal around here," Wilson said.

Wilson is correct. Bison once roamed throughout much of North America, including Ohio. But demand for bison and outright slaughter in the mid-1800s reduced the population to about 2,000 head. Since then, bison numbers have rallied.

People refer to the bison and buffalo interchangeably, but only bison is correct. Buffalo refers more to water buffalo and other species.

Keller said his bull weighs about 2,500 pounds and is the undisputed leader of his pack. He gets first dibs on food, water and space.

The bull's horns poke Viking-style from his brown, woolly head, but he seems docile, benign. However, Keller said bulls can fight each other for days on end, and could charge a human.

That keeps his relationship with bison simple: he feeds them, waters them and eats them.

Keller and his wife, Sue, eat plenty of bison, which they said is a flavorful meat if prepared correctly.

It is low in cholesterol, fat and calories, and high in protein, iron and vitamin B-12, and cooks swiftly.

But getting government approval to sell the meat in Ohio is difficult because it has to go to Kentucky for stamping. Not enough farmers raise bison in Ohio to warrant a federal bison inspector.

Only 68 Ohio farmers raised 1,358 head in 2007, according to the latest figures of the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Bison meat is hard to find in the East. Some local stores sell it, and people can buy ground bison from the Kellers, too, if they stop by. It costs about $5 a pound.

For most Easterners, though, bison is not on the menu.

That's not only because bison is not in great demand. It takes twice as long to raise bison as it does cattle and it costs much more to feed them.

Dan Brown, who is raising bison on Hancock County 313 near Rawson, said it costs $30 to $40 a day to feed his eight bison.

"We could be going to Red Lobster every night for what it costs to keep them alive," he said.

Brown's tight-knit herd eats more than 1,200 pounds of hay daily.

They are tamer than Keller's bison, which means sometimes Brown can go inside the fence.

But Brown can't take risks with a bison that shows aggression, and a bison could get shot if it tries to charge him. Generally speaking, they don't.

"Most animals know if someone is being kind to them, and they will be kind back," Brown said.

Bison are also hard to keep contained. Ordinary cattle fences won't do.

Any bison worth its salt can find its way out of, or through, so fences and gates have to be reinforced, then reinforced again, often with steel.

When they do get out, they can be hard to herd. They can be fast and stubborn.

Horses trained herding bison can win cattle herding competitions, Brown said, because cattle are so much easier to handle.

Keller has to trick his bison. For example, he keeps their water in their pen so if they go out to pasture, they have to return to the pen to drink. Then he's got them.

Neither Keller nor Brown said they are making much money on the bison. The Kellers live by their beekeeping trade, and Brown works as a heavy-steel welder.

Brown said he began raising bison when a friend got out of the business and decided Brown should take his herd. Brown protested, but the man delivered the animals while Brown was away.

"He just came and left 20-22 bison, put them in the barn, shut the gate and left," he said. "That was 10-12 years ago."

Nether man sells much meat. Brown said he sells the meat to a lodge in New York state where people also pay money to hunt them live.

Keller said he sells bison from his house at 3366 Hancock County 254.

The animals also attract attention. People will take Sunday drives and stop at the Kellers. Kids sometimes come see the Browns' bison.

But both men said the bison are nice to have. After all, they are food and entertainment built into one.

Keller said he once watched two of his bulls battle for the dominant position for days, and Browns' bulls don't disappoint either.

"They fight," Brown said. "You know how you see rams hit on TV? They do that."

On the Net:

www.bisoncentral.com/

www.healthybuffalo.com/cooking_bison.htm. (Tips on how to prepare bison.)



Reiter: 419-427-8497,

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