SEMPRONIOUS - Holsteins, Angus, horses, chickens and the occasional small sheep or goat herd are all familiar sights clustered in the fields and farms of Cayuga County. But along Route 41A through Sempronious, an unfamiliar sight may take drivers by surprise: a hundred or so massive shaggy heads of wild buffalo grazing on the land of PDH Buffalo Farm.
Photo provided by Julia Reich
Nearly all of the buffalo is utilized. Even the heads are taxidermied.
Nearly all of the buffalo is utilized. Even the heads are taxidermied.
That's right: wild.
“These guys are killers!” say farm owners Debbie and Pete Head, half-jokingly.
The pastured buffalo are surrounded by a 15,000 volt electric fence, but if it occurred to one of them that the grass was greener on the other side, the pain of the shock would not stop it from charging through. They might look ungainly, but the reality is that they are amazingly agile and swift when they want to be.
That's why Pete and Deb keep their free-ranging herd “fat and happy.” The animals are entirely grass-fed via a system of rotating pastures. This not only keeps the herd healthy and complaisant, it helps prevent fertilizers and manure from eroding into the surrounding lakes.
Deb says proudly that their animals are “fed the best product. Pete spoils 'em; he does a great job with 'em.”
They are watered with a spring-fed pond. Pete says they won't drink out of a trough unless dirt is thrown in it. He thinks maybe it's the minerals in the soil that they need.
The Heads' enthusiasm for their operation is obvious. Pete grew up on a state farm, and Deb has “always, always wanted a farm. I grew up singing ‘Old MacDonald.'”
Her inspiration comes from, of all people, Ted Turner, who owns the largest herd of buffalo in the United States, and many restaurants which serve the meat. She figures if it works for him, it'll work for them, too “because who's been more successful than Ted Turner?”
Deb doesn't hesitate to tout the benefits of eating buffalo meat. People with heart disease or who are on chemotherapy and are advised against eating red meat can eat buffalo. It's low in cholesterol and fat and high in iron and protein. The animals are naturally disease-resistant. No steroids, hormones or antibiotics are used.
Their herd is entirely grass-fed and never grain-finished. Pete points out that this is a common cattle-farming practice which can erode the animals' stomach and create toxins, leading farmers to administer antibiotics, which of course end up in the final meat that is consumed.
Unlike other buffalo farms, which might slaughter older animals, PDH's meat animals tend to be young males, so the product is always tender and never gamey. When the time comes, a professional shooter is hired to cull the herd humanely and painlessly.
The Heads carry a variety of cuts of 100-percent buffalo meat right out of a freezer at their farm: steaks, franks, roasts, ribs, sausage, burgers. I even got to take some bones home for my very lucky dog.
Nearly every part of the 700-pound young male buffalo is utilized. Even the heads are taxidermied if you are inclined to hang one over your mantle.
Incidentally, the terms “buffalo” and “bison” are synonymous. Originally the animals were known as bison, but people mistakenly associated them with water buffalo (a different species altogether which yields milk for cheese and yogurt). Thus the name has stuck ever since.
I returned from my visit to the buffalo farm with a couple of cute, single-person-portioned Delmonico buffalo steaks. My husband, who doesn't cook very often, and using some kind of innate gene known only to men, knew exactly how to prepare them. The result yielded two absolutely sweet, juicy steaks. With salt potatoes and steamed asparagus, it was a fabulous meal. My husband's recipe is included.
Julia Reich, of Scipio Center, is owner of Julia Reich Design, a graphic design studio, and self-proclaimed “foodie” with interests in cooking (and eating).
If you go
For a closer look at the herd: Take a Buffalo Safari.
Visitors are safely taken into the fields on a truck offered May through October for $5 per person;
children under 5 are free.
For more information: Call 496-2925 or visit www.pdfbuffalofarm.com
What's a localvore?
“Localvores” are people committed to eating and learning about foods grown close to home. Localvores prefer to:
• Eat healthy, delicious food grown and farmed near where they live
• Establish relationships with like-minded food producers and consumers
• Ensure that farm animals are treated well while alive and humanely when processed for food
• Reduce their impact on the environment
“These guys are killers!” say farm owners Debbie and Pete Head, half-jokingly.
The pastured buffalo are surrounded by a 15,000 volt electric fence, but if it occurred to one of them that the grass was greener on the other side, the pain of the shock would not stop it from charging through. They might look ungainly, but the reality is that they are amazingly agile and swift when they want to be.
That's why Pete and Deb keep their free-ranging herd “fat and happy.” The animals are entirely grass-fed via a system of rotating pastures. This not only keeps the herd healthy and complaisant, it helps prevent fertilizers and manure from eroding into the surrounding lakes.
Deb says proudly that their animals are “fed the best product. Pete spoils 'em; he does a great job with 'em.”
They are watered with a spring-fed pond. Pete says they won't drink out of a trough unless dirt is thrown in it. He thinks maybe it's the minerals in the soil that they need.
The Heads' enthusiasm for their operation is obvious. Pete grew up on a state farm, and Deb has “always, always wanted a farm. I grew up singing ‘Old MacDonald.'”
Her inspiration comes from, of all people, Ted Turner, who owns the largest herd of buffalo in the United States, and many restaurants which serve the meat. She figures if it works for him, it'll work for them, too “because who's been more successful than Ted Turner?”
Deb doesn't hesitate to tout the benefits of eating buffalo meat. People with heart disease or who are on chemotherapy and are advised against eating red meat can eat buffalo. It's low in cholesterol and fat and high in iron and protein. The animals are naturally disease-resistant. No steroids, hormones or antibiotics are used.
Their herd is entirely grass-fed and never grain-finished. Pete points out that this is a common cattle-farming practice which can erode the animals' stomach and create toxins, leading farmers to administer antibiotics, which of course end up in the final meat that is consumed.
Unlike other buffalo farms, which might slaughter older animals, PDH's meat animals tend to be young males, so the product is always tender and never gamey. When the time comes, a professional shooter is hired to cull the herd humanely and painlessly.
The Heads carry a variety of cuts of 100-percent buffalo meat right out of a freezer at their farm: steaks, franks, roasts, ribs, sausage, burgers. I even got to take some bones home for my very lucky dog.
Nearly every part of the 700-pound young male buffalo is utilized. Even the heads are taxidermied if you are inclined to hang one over your mantle.
Incidentally, the terms “buffalo” and “bison” are synonymous. Originally the animals were known as bison, but people mistakenly associated them with water buffalo (a different species altogether which yields milk for cheese and yogurt). Thus the name has stuck ever since.
I returned from my visit to the buffalo farm with a couple of cute, single-person-portioned Delmonico buffalo steaks. My husband, who doesn't cook very often, and using some kind of innate gene known only to men, knew exactly how to prepare them. The result yielded two absolutely sweet, juicy steaks. With salt potatoes and steamed asparagus, it was a fabulous meal. My husband's recipe is included.
Julia Reich, of Scipio Center, is owner of Julia Reich Design, a graphic design studio, and self-proclaimed “foodie” with interests in cooking (and eating).
If you go
For a closer look at the herd: Take a Buffalo Safari.
Visitors are safely taken into the fields on a truck offered May through October for $5 per person;
children under 5 are free.
For more information: Call 496-2925 or visit www.pdfbuffalofarm.com
What's a localvore?
“Localvores” are people committed to eating and learning about foods grown close to home. Localvores prefer to:
• Eat healthy, delicious food grown and farmed near where they live
• Establish relationships with like-minded food producers and consumers
• Ensure that farm animals are treated well while alive and humanely when processed for food
• Reduce their impact on the environment
