Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, they are! Our meat products are processed in provincially-inspected facilities and include a retail label with our producer's contact information for traceability.

We do not have a farm store or storefront just yet. We are in the planning stage of building a farm store and we hope to break ground in the coming years. But there's good news! We currently sell our products from the basement of our farmhouse. Our "freezer room" is dedicated to our frozen meat products and our farm freezers are inspected by the Renfrew County & District Health Unit (RCDHU). Please follow our social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube) for more information on what's happening around the farm.

Yes, we are! You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Bison is lean so low and slow cooking is always best. Bison steaks cannot be cooked past medium at the very most. If bison steaks are cooked past medium, they will be as tough as leather. Other cuts may be cooked through, however, such as ground, stew cubes, roasts, shanks, sausages, burger patties, etc. Please visit our Cooking Tips page for more information on how to cook our bison products.

Yes, we are! Our dedicated farm freezers are inspected by the Renfrew County and District Health Unit (RCDHU).

We can be contacted by: calling us at 613-582-7389 sending an email to whitepinebison@gmail.com completing the contact form on the contact page, and/or sending us a message through social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube)

Yes, we do! Our farm is under constant renovation so we encourage those who wish to see the bison to book a viewing on our booking page. Please note: The bison have a lot of foliage and tree coverage in their pen so we cannot guarantee you will see them. Because of this, we offer these visits for free. The walk to the bison pen is approximately one (1) kilometer each way. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate wheelchairs or walkers at this time. Once our herd is bigger, we will offer farm tours inside the bison pen for an up close and personal experience. Please follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube) for the most up-to-date information about our farm. Please click on the "Book Now" button below to book your visit.

It may be difficult to see the bison from the road but it is possible from time to time. We have a field at the corner of Zion Line and Hila Road. You will notice a tall fence about halfway down on the other side of the field. This is their current 8-acre pen. You will have a better chance of seeing them in the winter months. The foliage becomes thick in the summer months so it gets tough to find them through the grass and shrubs. However, if you stay long enough you may just catch a glimpse. Please keep in mind that we have crops growing in that corner field. During some summers, the crops will be too tall to see the bison pen. Please do not enter our field to view the bison. Country roads are small so please ensure to park as close to the side of the road as possible so as not to become a hindrance to local traffic and farmers with machinery. We will make an announcement on social media once the bison are in a field closer to the road.

The bison are in an 8-acre pen beside our field located on the corner of Hila Road and Zion Line. The pen is not easily seen by the road. We are waiting on tile drainage to be completed in our other fields before we expand their pen.

Bison have retained their natural instincts to a greater degree than domestic cattle and require some specialized handling equipment and techniques. The two species differs greatly in appearance. A bison has a distinctive hump and impressive shaggy hair coat over the front quarters and head. The tails of bison are less than half the length of the tails on cattle. Like cattle, bison are grazing ruminants with split hooves. Both bison and cattle have multiple stomachs and chew their cud. Both male and female bison have horns, while not all breeds of cattle grow horns. As with cattle, the bison cow typically raises one calf per year (twins are rare but possible). While beef or dairy cows often have their first calf at two years of age, bison cows typically don't have a calf until they are at least three years old. The gestation (pregnancy) period is typically around nine months for both bison and cattle. Bison calves are naturally weaned by their mothers a month before the arrival of a new calf. Calving and breeding seasons for bison closely follow the patterns in nature, with calves arriving in May and June, and the breeding season running from shortly after the start of calving through to August. Bison males between one and two years of age are capable of impregnating females. However, bison bulls do not generally become dominant active breeders in the herd until they are at least four years old. Calving and breeding seasons for dairy and beef cattle can potentially occur at almost any time of the year.

NO! Unfortunately, feeding our bison is not an option. Our bison are 100% grass-fed and pasture-raised. This means they eat only grass and hay to ensure they grow naturally, as nature intended.

We started with a small herd of 4 bison in 2019; one male and three females. Our bull, Heracles, reached breeding age in the fall of 2022. We are excited to announce two calves were born in the summer of 2023! We now have a herd of 6 bison; our bull, Heracles, two cows, two female calves, and a heifer (which is an unbred female).

Scientifically, the true name for the North American buffalo is "bison". Our history has ingrained in us the name "buffalo" that many still use today. True buffaloes are the cape buffalo and the water buffalo of Africa and Asia. There are two subspecies of the North American bison, the more common plains bison and the woods bison, which are native to the forests of northwestern Canada. Both bison and buffalo belong to the bovidae family. However, they are different animals.

Yes, we do! We like to meet with potential wholesalers in person to ensure we mesh well before starting a partnership. Our pricing (retail and wholesale) is based by the pound. Our bison meat products are sold by the weight so each package differs in price. Each bison meat product includes a retail label that includes the weight and the total retail price which makes inventory a breeze. We do not allow other businesses to raise the retail price of our meat products since we believe our customers shouldn't pay more at other locations than they do on our farm. Our wholesalers are the first to know of an upcoming slaughter. We keep track of each muscle so we are as transparent as possible when requests are made. Some restaurants order an entire muscle which means some cuts may not be available for others. We have a waitlist available for all out-of-stock items. If we do not have what you are requesting, you will be placed on the waitlist for the next slaughter. Some cuts, such as brisket, are hard to get as the waitlist can get long. However, the sooner you ask to be placed on the waitlist, the sooner you will get your request fulfilled. Our waitlist is based on a first come first served basis.

We strive to ensure every customer is happy with every purchase. If you are unhappy with your purchase for any reason, please let us know. Meat products are NOT refundable once accepted by a customer. Please visit our Return Policy page for more information.

We accept payment by way of cash, debit, credit, and e-transfer. Please visit our Payment Policy for more information.

Yes, we do! We have partnered with Mrs. Grocery to offer delivery throughout the Ottawa Valley and Ottawa. Please visit our Delivery Policy for more information. Orders must be placed on Mrs. Grocery's website to receive your delivery. If you have placed your order on our website and decide you would like delivery instead, we can help you get in touch with Mrs. Grocery to set up delivery of your order. Please note: there is a delivery fee for this service which is due to Mrs. Grocery at the time of delivery.

Yes, you can! Winter: We are available for farm pick-up on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10 am to 6 pm from mid-December to mid-April unless otherwise noted on social media. Summer: We are available for farm pick-up on Wednesdays & Fridays from 10 am to 6 pm from mid-April to mid-December. Our products are also available at retail locations throughout the Ottawa Valley. Please see our Where to Find page for more information.

Unfortunately, we do not currently ship our products as Wix does not have integration with Canada Post. We are currently looking into other options for our non-perishable products. Please see our Shipping Policy for more information.

Yes, you can! Please send us a message through our contact page, our social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube), or send us an email with the details of your request. We will let you know when we have our next slaughter scheduled and if your request is possible. Please note: bison are grass-fed and grown naturally so their muscles are smaller than that of cattle bison is very lean so requests for a "fatty piece of meat" is not possible a 50% non-refundable deposit is required for all requests that may be hard to sell should the order be canceled after the butchering process (for example, a full 7-bone prime rib roast may be hard to sell if a special order is canceled)