Today the Solwolds run about 50 head at any one time, usually with two herd bulls and 16 cows. The rest of the animals are raised to sell as breed stock to other buffalo growers or as meat. The industry estimates that 200,000 bison are on the hoof today. And each of these woolly creatures compares favorably in fat grams, calories and cholesterol to America's standard meats - beef, pork and poultry. Further, buffalo meat is flavorful and tender and is a nutrient-dense meat that tends to satisfy the appetite with fewer calories and fat.
Current demand outstrips the supply of buffalo meat and breed stock.
A healthy cow is worth more as a breeder than it is for its meat. That in turn led him to a North Dakota veterinarian name of Ken Throlson, who Don calls a visionary and a leading authority in the care and feeding of buffalo. Through Mr. Throlson, Don learned that the characteristics of important natural foods for buffalo match neatly, if unexpectedly, with the waste by-products of grain elevators. That elevator waste was the seed for another of Don's businesses - Superior Pellet. As his research continued, Don hooked up with Don Trebwasser, a man he describes as a mechanical genius.