The Missouri Bison Association is a membership organization dedicated to the preservation of the American Bison.

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The Missouri Bison Association is a membership organization dedicated to the preservation, expansion, and promotion of the American Bison and the bison industry in Missouri. If you have an interest in raising Bison or purchasing Bison products, we invite you to join.

The great American bison is a truly magnificent animal. It is the largest land mammal in North America since the end of the Ice Age. Estimates of the pre-European herd size vary from 30,000,000 to 70,000,000 animals and ranged over most of North America.

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There are three subspecies of bison: The Plains Bison, Wood Bison, and the European Wisent.

Where bison and Native Americans lived together, the bison provided much more than food.

Unregulated killing of bison led to the many millions of animals reduced to no more than 1500 individuals in the mid to late 1800s.

Legal protection of the bison in Yellowstone Park, the establishment of preserves like the National Bison Refuge in Montana, along with individuals raising bison on their own land have helped restore the bison to over 200,000 animals.

Today, bison number over 200,000 and can be found from Alaska to Florida and from New York to California. Most of these animals are privately owned, but public herds can be found in many states. Many Native American tribes are also bringing back the bison.

Just as the original Americans had many uses for bison, current Americans also use many parts of the animal. The meat is used for food, the hide for leather, the wool is knitted into garments, and the skulls are used for decoration.

Bison have been here for hundreds of thousands of years and have had a big impact on humans. Bison were more than just food and tools for many Native American tribes and still influence our culture today. The buffalo nickel, Buffalo (New York), and even a sophisticated computer program (called BISON) are only a few examples of this influence.

The majestic bison conjures romantic images of a West that was still untamed and a simpler time that many of us still long for.

Reasons for Investing into Bison

VALUE - The value of Bison is not what you pay, but what you get in return. Nutritionally you are getting more protein and nutrients while getting less fat and calories. Bison meat is a dense meat and tends to satisfy you more while eating less.

HEALTH - Bison are handled as little as possible and spend their lives on grass, much as they always have, and very little time in the feedlot. They are not subjected to questionable drugs or hormones. The members of the National Bison Association felt so strongly about this that they have a resolution opposing the use of these substances in the production on Bison meat.

NUTRITION - Research begun by Dr. M. Marchello, University of North Dakota, has shown that Bison is a highly nutrient-dense food because of the proportion of protein, fat, minerals and fatty acids to it's caloric value. Comparisons to other meat sources showed that Bison has a greater concentration of iron as well as some of the essential fatty acids necessary for human well being. Caution should be exercised however, as ground Bison comes in different fat content grades. The lower the fat content, the lower the calories and cholesterol level of the meat.