Remember that old song Home, Home On The Range? Now, you, and Neil Young, can visit a home where the buffalo roam right here in West Virginia.
Liz Riffle, owner of Riffle Farms: American Bison, located in Preston County, began her foray into bison cattle farming almost three years ago and now, with the help of her small team, operates the first and only commercial bison farm in the state.
A registered nurse by trade, Riffle decided it was time to switch from bedside to barnside. She, along with her husband, Jimmie, are U.S. Navy Nurse Corps veterans, and they are the proud parents of Jamon, their 19-month old. Jimmie continues to serve in the military as a Lieutenant Commander.
Health and wellness have always been important to the Riffle’s. Liz, for her part, considered a switch to veganism after discovering what she called “an atrocity” in the way certain farm animals were treated. A carnivore by nature, Riffle wanted to pursue another way to achieve healthy meat with high ethical standards.
The Preston County herd of around 38 animals are grass-fed to grass-finished, grazing and foraging upon open hills and countryside for the entirety of their life. Unlike fattier cattle and other farm animals, Riffle commends this process for its ability to create leaner meat that is high in protein and rich in nutrients. The result is happier bison and healthier customers.
In total, the Riffle Farm stretches 64 acres and is accessible to tours and camping. With four campsites on the property, the farm enables tourists to “wake up to coffee and a view of roaming buffalo.” The farm also provides several farm-to-table events a year and cooking demonstration tours.
Riffle is also the owner of The Honest Carnivore: A WV Meat Collective. They desire to introduce the public to a better, honestly raised and honestly harvested meat. The collective is a “one-of-a-kind meat school and community resource that offers hands-on classes to consumers in whole-animal butchery, cookery and charcuterie, as well as on-farm slaughter.”
For now, the company intends to stay local, with its online shop and regional presence. You can find Liz and Riffle Farms at the Morgantown Farmers Market every Saturday, as well as schedule a tour to visit on their website. Riffle hopes the farm becomes a successful tourist destination and acts as a forerunner to a higher quality standard of farming in West Virginia.
If you’d like to keep up with Liz and Riffle Farms, you can visit www.rifflefarms.com and www.thehonestcarnivore.com.
Listen to the full podcast here: https://positivelywv.com/podcast/episode-185-liz-riffle-riffle-farms/
PWV QUICK BITS | LIZ RIFFLE
- RECOMMENDED RESOURCE: Farming for Profit by Charlotte Smith and Buffalo for the Broken Heart by Dan O’Brien
- PIECE OF ADVICE: “Visit other farms and farmers; talk; ask them questions and go on a walk with them,” advised Riffle.