Flintstone, Ga., breeder supplies Chattanooga area's restaurants with bison

photo A male bison stands in a pen at Eagles Rest Ranch in Flintstone, Ga. The ranch raises bison and cattle and is the primary supplier for most Chattanooga restaurants that serve bison. They also offer therapeutic horse riding programs for at-risk and handicapped youth.

• Name: Eagles Rest Ranch

• Location: 690 Eagles Cliff Drive, Flintstone, Ga.

• Contact information: 423-421-3205, burton@eaglesrestranch.com, www.eaglesrestranch.com

• Products/services: Bison supplier for restaurants and stores from Cleveland, Tenn., to Dalton, Ga.

• Ranch capacity: Eagles Rest is home to about 20 heads of bison, each with a potential yield of about 400 pounds of meat.

• Why bison? When Burton Brown bought his ranch 20 years ago, he didn't expect to raise bison. Brown wanted to restore native species of plants that had been wiped out in the area. Soon after, Brown decided to try his hand at restoring the extinct Appalachian bison by cross-breading Great Plains and Canadian woods bison. Soon, his herd was too large, and he started selling meat to local stores and restaurants. "It started from a dream," Brown said. "Now, we've progressed to a lot more."

• Cooking bison: Bison meat tastes similar to beef and is cooked in the same manner. Bison is generally more nutritious than beef, with higher concentration of some essential fatty acids and iron, and a fraction of the fat content.

• Other ranch businesses: The 400-acre ranch is also home to longhorns, Angus cattle and horses. The horses are used in the Spirit Horse therapy program for children with mental and physical disabilities. Brown, who is 80, and his wife, Ginger, started the program two years ago. "It keeps you young, having a purpose," he said. "I can't think of a better purpose than this."

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