American Bison
Questions & Answers

American Bison vs Cattle Emissions

We wanted to talk about American Bison vs Cattle Emissions because of so many reasons. We’ll talk about them below, but the gist is: American Bison emissions are starting to smell pretty good! Sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves! ;)

When we find ourselves in the grocery store shopping for ground meat for burgers or for steaks to cook on the grill we often choose beef. But we now have more meat choices than ever before and it’s sometimes hard to choose. Usually our tastebuds make the choice for us. We don’t always ask ourselves what the differences between Beef and Bison are. But with climate change, environmental issues, and reduction of natural habitats being so serious, we should!

So we wanted to ask, and answer, a serious question. Which animal emits more CO2, the American Bison or Cattle? To our great relief, we don’t need to switch our product line!

Considerations for comparing the American Bison to Cattle

  1. Emissions Produced
  2. Time to Slaughter
  3. Edible Meat Produced
  4. Heath Considerations
  5. Land & Resources
  6. Apparel
  7. Pet Food

Comparing the American Bison to Cattle

Emissions

  • For every 1kg of weight (plus dung, transportation, etc) in an American Bison, there will be 25-31kg CO2e emissions.
  • For every 1kg of weight (plus dung, transportation, etc) in a cow, there will be 58-70kg CO2e emissions.

Time to Slaughter

  • American Bison are raised approximately 27 months before going to market.
  • Cattle are raised approximately 30 months before going to market.

Edible Meat Produced

  • The average weight of a Bison is 500kg, of which 200kg (40%) is edible meat.
  • The average weight of a Cattle is 400kg of which 140kg (35%) is edible meat.

Health Considerations

  • Beef and Bison are very similar, however if you’re looking for meat that tastes great and has less fat, the Bison is the way to go!

Land & Natural Resource Management

  • Bison are raised on the natural prairies across North America while Cattle are raised on farms. The Bison graze the land and eat their natural foods while maintaining a balance with nature. No human intervention needed. Bison vs Cattle: Bison come out ahead!

Apparel

  • Wool! Bison hide gives us wool products like gloves, mittens, hats, and socks, while cow hide does not.

Pet Food

  • Both Bison and Cattle are commonly used in pet food, but Bison is almost always the healthier choice for your pets.

 

We love American Bison Leather! We’ve worked with both cow and bison hide over the 40+ years we’ve been in business and can’t express how much we love bison hide! American Bison leather is tough and durable. At the same time it offers a soft feel and amazing texture!

So, when you’re thinking about buying leather goods, remember which is the more environmentally friendly choice between American Bison vs Cattle! We appreciate your support of the American Bison industry, of our planet, and of our handcrafted leather goods!

 

Your Global Neighbor,

The Buffalo Billfold Company

 

Sources:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168192309002846
https://bisoncentral.com/nutritional-comparison/
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELDEV3062519 Further Info:
http://jas.fass.org/cgi/reprint/73/8/2483
http://dss.ucar.edu/datasets/ds866.0/
https://www.ciesin.columbia.edu/docs/004-132/004-132.html
http://www.thaiagj.org/files/42-3/02-TJ-AGR-0409-11.pdf(https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100821105451AADHndw)