At JJ Bison, we do not feed our bison growth hormones or antibiotics in standard with the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety (USDA) and Inspection Service. Our bison are inspected when butchered, and have always passed with flying colors.

During the winter, the ground is very cold, so migrating the bison to different fields isn’t as much of a necessity as the spring/summer seasons. Fortunately, bison develop a thick, wooly-like coat to help protect them from the colder temperatures. The coat is so thick that it even protects them from snow that may build up on its coat. Bison also use their large heads to move snow, which is crucial during heavy snowfall. With this ability, bison can easily survive a storm that would similarly hurt other domestic livestock. During the winter, we do continue to feed them hay and grain supplements to ensure they are maintaining a healthy diet. In addition to feeding, we also want to make sure their water does not freeze during the cold conditions. To do this, we have a water dish that is continuously kept full with a pump underground. This has a heated pipe to make sure the water is unable to freeze. We do check on this as well to ensure this is in working order by climbing into the pasture and checking on the well during feeding times.

Bison’s biggest annoyance is flies. When visiting other farms during the warmer seasons, you may see some flies around bison. The flies are attracted to the smell of manure and the smell of bison. To help the bison not feel overwhelmed by the amount of bugs, we use a large amount of fly catchers around the farm including fly paper, and ranch fly traps. We also include USDA approved Insecticide ear tags on bison which are applied to their ears without any adverse side effects to the bison themselves. This keeps the bison fly-free and happy!

Even though the term “bison” and “buffalo” are essentially used interchangeably, bison are located in North America, and the true buffalo (Water Buffalo) originate from Africa and Asia. The younger members of the JJ Bison family tell bison and buffalo apart because buffalo have what they call a “mustache” on top of their head (the horns look like a mustache). Buffalo also are missing the large hump on their back that bison are so well known for sporting.

Bison may look like they would move slowly, but they are incredibly quick. They can run over 35 MPH and jump over 6 feet. You may think it takes them a minute or so to get to that 35 MPH speed, but you would be incorrect. Bison can very easily reach this speed without much build up, so please, be careful.

Our farm is located in Monkton, Maryland down a shared, private lane. Our store (in progress) will be located in Cockeysville, Maryland.

Because there is not a store or public parking at the farm, we typically ask that if you do want to take photos of the bison, you let us know. Sometimes the bison are in fields that are difficult to see from the road, so photos may be better if you ask us if the bison are nearby. We also of course ask that you be courteous as it is, again, a shared, private lane.

Rare: 115-120 degrees Medium Rare: 121-129 degrees Medium: 130 -135 degrees Grass-fed bison or beef cooks much faster than traditionally fed animals, and because they are leaner in nature, they can be quite tough if overcooked. You can read more on our meat cooking tips page.

Yes, when you buy from us, your bison will always be frozen. The bison is vacuum sealed and frozen as soon as it is cut by our butcher to provide the maximum amount of freshness possible. After the butcher, the meat is stored in a 0 degree fahrenheit freezer so it’s as fresh as it was from the butcher.

At this time, we are not selling halves or quarters of bison.

Bison at JJ Bison eat grass and are moved from field to field during the warmer seasons of the year in a process called rotational grazing. This allows them to eat grass that grows in new fields so they always have fresh food. We also provide them with hay during the winter when grass may be covered by snow or in short supply. We also provide grain supplements that contain nutrients that are needed by the bison.