Bison at the ranch have plenty of space in which to roam and forage. Guests can hunt on the property, or the meat is available in select butcher shops. Photo by Wilson Puryear.
When someone is asked to picture agriculture in Alaska, their thoughts likely turn to record-setting cabbages at the state fair weigh-in, Mat-Su carrots soaking up the midnight sun, or golden fields of barley waving in the Tanana Valley wind. What they aren’t likely to imagine is an Alaskan red meat industry.
Perhaps this is not surprising, as, at first glance, Alaska might not seem the ideal place for animal husbandry. Cold weather, deep snow, and long darkness present substantial hurdles during the infamous subarctic winter.
Unless you are raising the right sort of animal, that is.
The folks at the Stevens Village Ranch certainly seem to have zeroed in on the right sort of animal. Located in Delta Junction, the ranch got its beginnings in 2004 when the Stevens Village Tribal Council decided to purchase the 2,000-acre property to help contribute to Alaska’s food security, provide agricultural research and educational opportunities, and generate sustainable employment and income for tribal members of Stevens Village, a community located on the Yukon River approximately 170 air miles away. When considering what species of livestock to raise at the new ranch, one clearly stood shaggy head and shoulders above the rest: the American bison.
Sometimes referred to as “buffalo,” American bison seem the perfect choice for an Alaskan ranch. Native to Alaska, they were once a common sight in the interior of the state, dying out only within the past few hundred years. A wild herd reintroduced near Delta Junction nearly 100 years ago, along with captive herds found on other ranches in the community, demonstrate clearly that bison can still thrive in the area. Beginning with only 18 individuals in 2005, the ranch’s bison herd numbers around 270 today, enough to allow for a small monthly harvest.
The Stevens Village Ranch provides jobs and training for tribal members of the community as well as financial benefits from meat sales. Photo by Wilson Puryear.
Sometimes referred to as “buffalo,” American bison seem the perfect choice for an Alaskan ranch. Native to Alaska, they were once a common sight in the interior of the state, dying out only within the past few hundred years. A wild herd reintroduced near Delta Junction nearly 100 years ago, along with captive herds found on other ranches in the community, demonstrate clearly that bison can still thrive in the area. Beginning with only 18 individuals in 2005, the ranch’s bison herd numbers around 270 today, enough to allow for a small monthly harvest.
When considering the challenges that an Alaskan winter brings, the benefits of raising bison are brought into clear focus. Unlike cattle, whose metabolism increases during winter, a bison’s metabolism actually decreases throughout the winter, allowing the animal to require less food than it does in summer. Thick winter coats keep bison well insulated from the cold, and temperatures must dip well below minus 40 degrees before they even begin to shiver. Moderate snowfall doesn’t bother bison either, as they are able to use their massive heads to clear away many feet of snow to reach forage hidden underneath.
According to ranch manager Joe Burgess, the biggest challenge faced with maintaining the animals is providing water during the winter. While bison can get by with eating snow to meet their hydration needs, this costs a lot of energy that could otherwise go toward growth and maintaining body condition. So the ranch crew braves the frigid temperatures all winter, chipping ice, hauling water, and ensuring that the many drinking tanks on the property remain filled.
The logistics surrounding feed are less of an issue than water. The bison at the ranch graze on pasture during the snow-free months, eating grasses, sedges, fireweed, and other early successional plants. In the winter, the bison are provided with locally grown hay.
Not only is this grass-fed diet best for the bison, it also equates to benefits for the consumer and the environment. Grass-fed bison meat is lower in fat, calories, and cholesterol than traditionally raised domestic meats, and by being allowed to forage on grass and hay instead of being fed grain, the bison remain healthy and aren’t consuming food that could have instead been eaten by people. Bison and other ruminants are uniquely adapted to subsist and prosper on landscapes that do not otherwise provide any food that humans can use. This is especially the case in Alaska, where wild or ranched range-fed red meat is often one of the best local food options there is.
For those interested, meat from Stevens Village Ranch bison can be found in select Palmer and North Pole butcher shops. Additionally, like most bison ranches in the state, the Stevens Village Ranch offers the option for customers to purchase an entire bison on the hoof and harvest it themselves; essentially a red meat equivalent of “pick-your-own” that allows individuals (or multiple people pitching in to cover the cost) the opportunity to obtain a large quantity of meat that was raised locally, hasn’t been subjected to antibiotics or feedlot confinement, and comes without most of hunting’s inherent uncertainties.
The goal of the Stevens Village Ranch is to provide local, healthy, ecologically sensible red meat for Alaskans while also raising awareness of where it is that meat, and indeed any food, ultimately comes from. Thus, in addition to bison, it is the hope of the Stevens Village Ranch to cultivate food for thought as well.
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