The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained 63. Regenerative Bison Farming with Liz Riffle
On today’s episode of The Good Dirt, we’re speaking with Liz Riffle of Riffle Farm in Preston County, WV, which is a small bison farm raising grass-fed and finished animals. Owner and Operator Liz is a U.S Navy Nurse Corps veteran and her husband, Jimmie, is currently still serving on active-duty as a Navy Nurse Corps Nurse Practitioner. Jimmie was born and raised in Grafton, WV. In their own words, Jimmie and Liz are homegrown and proud to now serve this great nation by feeding it!
After near extinction in the 1880s bison have made a comeback, and are now thriving on small operations such as Riffle Farm. Liz says she and her husband discovered bison burgers while traveling in Wyoming, and became interested in the idea of raising them. They eventually found a 64-acre spot where they could let bison roam and graze, and opened for business in 2017. Fast forward to today, and they’ve almost doubled their operation. Liz shares with us their journey from those beginnings until now, during which she’s learned much about regenerative agriculture, working with nature, slowing down and listening to the land.
Liz believes that she has a responsibility to honorably raise as well as humanely harvest the bison on her farm. The regulatory system is set up for large-scale meat producers and sometimes makes it difficult for small scale farmers to accomplish their sustainability goals. Liz has started a new business, The Honest Carnivore, as a means of teaching other small farmers how to navigate that system, empowering them to continue providing sustainable meat solutions.
Join us on this week’s episode to learn more about building trust and transparency in the food chain with bison farmer Liz Riffle.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podchaser, Simplecast, Podtail, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
- Daily life of a bison farmer
- How bison grazing patterns help the local flora and fauna
- Farming regulations and how they can work against small farmers
- Certification processes and marketing strategies of large food corporations
- Keeping it simple when it comes to buying food
Resources Mentioned:
Guest Info
Connect with Liz Riffle on her website.
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Original intro music by John C Kingsley