90.1 FM San Luis Obispo | 91.7 FM Paso Robles | 91.1 FM Cayucos | 95.1 FM Lompoc | 90.9 FM Avila
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Bison leading the charge with Western Nebraska’s sustainable-ag ranchers

Ways To Subscribe
Western Nebraska buffalo
Tom Wilmer
Western Nebraska buffalo

Correspondent Tom Wilmer visits with cattle and buffalo ranchers in Western Nebraska

Sometimes an audio travel show can remain relevant for quite a while—we call them Evergreens. The following show about cattle and organic buffalo ranching operations in Western Nebraska first aired in 2017 and is re-shared as a best-of-the-best Journeys podcast.

Elk at Krecik Ranch in Western Nebraska
Tom Wilmer
Elk at Krecik Ranch in Western Nebraska

Buffalo meat has approximately 35 percent more protein and half the calories of beef, and there’s only 1.8 grams of fat per 3 oz serving, compared to 8.7 grams in beef.

We'll visit with Stacy Krecik Miller at the Krecik Elk and Buffalo Ranch in Niobrara, Nebraska. Then we'll meet Dave Hutchinson who had been raising organic grass-fed buffalo in the Sandhills near Rose, Nebraska for more than 30 years at the time of the interview.

 In addition to farming seasonal crops, Hutchinson’s passion has been sustainable, organic grass fed Buffalo operations. Come along and meet Dave at the Hutchinson Family Organic Farm.

Cattle are definitely king in Nebraska. Cows outnumber humans four to one, and the State claims America’s number-one cow county, Cherry County that is. We’ll stop in for a visit with cattleman, Steve Moreland at Spearhead Ranch in Cherry County. Nebraska’s legendary beef industry has been a longtime mainstay in the state, but the up and coming market for buffalo continues to grow.

Buffalo Bill's home in North Platte Nebraska
Tom Wilmer
Buffalo Bill's home in North Platte Nebraska

 Back in 1804 when Lewis & Clark traipsed across the West en route to the Pacific Coast, it’s estimated that 50 million roamed the Great Plains, but tragically by the end of the 19th Century fewer than 500 remained.

 In the dawning days of the 20th Century, when the state of South Dakota started a quest to reintroduce Buffalo they had to source some of their stock from the Bronx Zoo. Today, according to the National Bison Association, there’s an estimated 500,000 buffalo in America. Across Nebraska you’ll find more and more ranchers specializing in buffalo.

  

Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer is a featured podcast on the NPR Podcast Directory
NPR
Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer is a featured podcast on the NPR Podcast Directory

You are invited to subscribe to the seven-time Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel podcast, Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, featured on the NPR Podcast DirectoryApple Podcastand more than twenty other podcast hosting sites including iHeartRadio and Spotify

Tom Wilmer produces on-air content for Issues & Ideas airing over KCBX and is producer and host of the six-time Lowell Thomas award-winning NPR podcast Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer. Recorded live on-location across America and around the world, the podcasts feature the arts, culture, music, nature, history, science, wine & spirits, brewpubs, and the culinary arts--everything from baseball to exploring South Pacific atolls to interviewing the real Santa Claus in the Arctic.
Related Content