Local Bison Menued at Schools

Students at Winona (MN) Senior High and Winona Middle School enjoyed lunch items made with bison meat from a local ranch as part of a farm to school initiative. A test meal quickly ran out of servings and received rave reviews, so the district has put “buffburgers” and “buffdogs” on the regular menu as an a la carte selection.

Nutrition Director Lyn Halvorson says she will also explore putting it on the reimbursable meal menu next year, meaning greater volume requirements that would give the producer incentive to invest in expansion. Currently, the buffburgers sell for $2.50 and the Buffdogs for $1.50 on the a la carte line. The bison comes from the Rockie Hill Bison Farm, located only six miles from the schools. The farm manages has own herds and also does its own processing.