Breeding Bison is a Legitimate Home Business!
A Home Business Article Contributed by Jenni Mckinney
Starting a Legitimate Home Business Breeding Bison
If you have a large tract of land and are familiar with livestock in general, then breeding bison is a legitimate home business opportunity for you. You may be wondering, first of all, what a bison is. A bison is the correct name for a buffalo, and the meat of bison is growing in popularity, as evidenced by the large amount of restaurants now offering bison as an alternative to beef because it is healthier.
Funding a Legitimate Home Business Breeding Bison
Depending on how much land and equipment you currently own, the average start-up cost for a legitimate home business breeding bison is going to run between $25, 000 and $35, 000. Your profits, however, are in keeping with that high up front cost, as you can sell the average fully grown bison for nearly $4000 each. You can make around $300 for a female calf and around $800 for a male calf. If you prefer to sell to the butcher, you can plan to make around $7 per pound for ground bison meat and around $23 per pound for prime steak cuts.
Marketing a Legitimate Home Business Breeding Bison
As this is a specialty animal breeding business, your marketing and advertising will be a little different than mainstream, but as with any legitimate home business, you don't want to neglect this important factor. First, you must determine who your target audience will be -- are you planning to simply sell the livestock for breeding purposes or do you want to sell them for consumption? Next, rub elbows with other livestock breeders to determine what the markets are in your area.
If you are interested in selling your animals for breeding purposes, then you will want to market your product to the general public. You can do this cheaply by offering tours of your farm to local elementary schools, 4-H clubs, or anyone else interested, and distribute fliers full of bison anecdotes. If you are interested in selling your animals for consumption, then you will need to market directly to the restaurants and caterers who have an interest in offering bison meat to their customers.
Running a Legitimate Home Business Breeding Bison
Fortunately, bison are stronger and tougher than cows and bulls, and for this reason, your outdoor equipment does not have to be as extensive and your calls to the vet will be reduced as well. Just make sure that your fences are strong, and that you have adequate shelters and pens. In addition, you will need approximately the same grazing area as you would need with cattle.
If you need additional resources, you can contact the National Bison Association which publishes a trade publication called "Bison World", which is full of facts, sales information, and other informative resources that can make your business safe and profitable. In addition, you can contact other bison breeders in your vicinity, or you can consider working on a bison farm yourself before beginning your own home business venture.
