Frequently asked question

No, they are not endangered, nor have they ever been on the endangered species list. It’s worth noting that in the late 1800’s, it was estimated that all that was left of the great bison herds that had been roaming the North American plains were fewer than 1,000 animals! Today, there are over 400,000 bison in North America and their numbers continue to grow. Moving forward, as more consumers make bison a part of their regular diet, more bison will be a part of the North American landscape.

Our bison are pasture raised, with the least amount of handling. The animals are left to breed on their own in July, August and September, with no artificial insemination or embryo transfer technologies being used. Also, bison are not castrated, dehorned or branded. All of the cows and breeding bulls spend their entire lives on pasture. At about 18 months of age, they are fed mostly grass and/or alfalfa hay, with a small amount of grain. Our bison are not herded like cattle. Instead, they can be led via the “feed truck”, that they know leads them through a gate to fresh grass in another pasture. In short, our objective is to allow bison to be bison as much as we possibly can, and let them roam freely the way they have for thousands of years.

Bison are typically harvested at 24-30 months of age. This is in contrast to beef cows, which are harvested at 18-24 months of age.

Unlike most cattle, bison are pasture-raised on good quality forages native to the ecosystem. Our bison are given a feed program that provides them the freedom to more or less choose what they want to eat. For the majority of their lives, they will feed on grass, natural weeds and forage in the open pasture. In addition, ranchers also give them Timothy Hay or Alfalfa Hay. Prior to harvest, they are also given a small amount of grains (such as Winter Wheat, Barley, Rye, Oats, Millet or Cracked Corn). This helps to create a more consistent quality and flavor of bison for the consumers.

Just before harvest, they are given a very small amount of grains. Typically, this would include Winter Wheat, Barley, Rye, Oats, Millet or Cracked Corn (these grains are grown under HACCP—a science-based, food safety system subject to strict regulations and controls and designed to protect public health). For a majority of their lives, however, they feed on fresh, open pasture.

All bison are pasture-raised. The free-range breeding herds (cows and bulls) spend their entire lives on pasture. Prior to harvest, young bison are fed some grain for approximately 100 to 150 days so that we can produce a premier, high quality, fresh product year round. Doing it this way allows us to find the balance between environmental and economic sustainability. By feeding some grain to the young bison, our products are consistently high quality, tender and flavorful year round.

Our bison are raised without the use of antibiotics. Also, federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones in bison.

Our Bison are raised on ranches located throughout Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, Canada.

The Safe Quality Food (SQF) program is a rigorous and credible food safety and quality program that is recognized by retailers, brand owners, and food service providers world-wide. Recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), the SQF family of food safety and quality codes are designed to meet industry, customer, and regulatory requirements for all sectors of the food supply chain—from the farm or ranch, all the way to retail stores and restaurants. This science-based farm-to-table food safety and quality certification helps food producers assure their buyers that their food products have been grown, processed, prepared and handled according to the highest possible global food safety standards.

GFSI stands for The Global Food Safety Initiative. It is a business-driven initiative for the development of food safety management systems to ensure food facilities are processing safe food for consumers.

“Over the past several decades, the world has seen numerous food safety crises in the headlines, eroding consumers’ trust in the safety of the food they buy, the brands they love and even the food industry at large. The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) was created in 2000 to help address this global issue. It is a landmark initiative of The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), a global industry network working to support Better Lives Through Better Business. We aim to build consumers’ trust in the food they buy – no matter where their food has come from, nor where in the world they live – by improving food safety management practices.”

The GFSI is a private organization that oversees and approves different auditing platforms as meeting their criteria. This criterion provides a universal ‘gold standard’ of recognition to specific food safety audits. In practice, this means that a food processor or manufacturer who can point to their GFSI certification can effectively and immediately show their customers and potential customers that their plant is operating with a structured, comprehensive, and effective food safety program.

Yes, at our head office in St-Leonard (Montreal)

Our minimum order is _$

No, but it is preferred if you are home.
Delivery can be made to your office as well, as long as the meat is placed in a freezer

Yes.

All our meat is flash frozen and vacuum sealed.

As Northfork Bison is not responsible for stolen, lost or late packages, we strongly recommend that you take the optional, Route insurance coverage. The extra cost for this “peace of mind” is very minimal.

No you do not need to have an account to place your order.