Connecting Cows, Conservation and Commerce

Looking for a way to celebrate Earth Day—grill up a nice, juicy Wild Sky steak.

When you buy Wild Sky you are getting more than the steak on your plate. Proceeds from the sale of Wild Sky support conservation in two ways: profit goes toward the American Prairie Reserve and toward local ranchers who implement wildlife-friendly ranching practices. Think Newman’s Own “all profits to charity,” only beef instead of salad dressing and conservation instead of charity.

What type of conservation? The innovative kind of course! American Prairie Reserve is compiling the largest wildlife reserve in the lower 48 states. Once complete, this 3.5-million-acre Reserve will be 1.5 times the size of Yellowstone National Park (or about the size of Connecticut). National Geographic calls the Reserve “one of the most ambitious conservation projects in American history.” And we’re doing it with private investment and in the middle of ranch-centered Montana.

Now for the really innovative part: Conservation and ranching are often viewed as opposing forces. The non-profit American Prairie Reserve is changing that dynamic through it’s for-profit company, Wild Sky. The mission is to support wildlife-friendly ranching through the sale of premium beef. Wildlife-friendly ranching covers a number of areas relating to wildlife conservation, from the preservation of native prairie to the protection of prairie dogs. Participating ranchers are audited to ensure that they adhere to voluntary protocols. This business model conserves wildlife and contributes to economic activity in Montana’s rural Northern Great Plains.

Where’s the beef? Wild Sky beef is moving into grocery stores across the country including Meijer Food Stores. And chefs such as James Dumas are telling us the product is excellent, “I’m always looking for the best products for our restaurants. In my opinion Wild Sky is it!”

Is your mouth watering yet?

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