An Introduction to Buffaloes

[River Buffaloes]

Any idea how they interact with horses? If they back down to horses the same way they back down to cows they probably wouldn't do well at my place. If something backs down too much it gets attacked in my herd.

Oh no, buffaloes are like horses in the sense that they have a strong social order and they defend each others back. If you watch videos of Water Buffaloes, you will note that how close they stay to their herd, almost touching eachother. When grazing they don't tend to spread out evenly on the plot, they stay close always talking softly to eachother.

They are not very cooperative with horses and they are not very cooperative with herding dogs. In Latin America where buffaloes are gaining popularity as well as in their native tracts they are herded by herders on foot. This is because buffaloes are sensitive animals, mistreating them can be counterproductive. One of the cruelest thing you can do to a buffalo is to send herding dogs behind them.

Buffaloes are also smarter than the cattle, they are good learners and know how to avoid trouble. Horses are also very smart, I am sure they will never get in the midst of a buffalo herd. I have seen buffaloes and horses being kept together. Most people who are fond of horses keep at least one milking buffalo for the horse. I have seen them mostly ignoring eachother. However they are both of inquisitive nature, if they are unaccustomed to eachother they may interact a bit.

 

[Bruce]

butt look bigger

Is that why our butts look big, no tail?

 

[Kusanar]

Is that why our butts look big, no tail?

You may be on to something there...

 

[River Buffaloes]

So here is another wonderful YouTube video about a long Island couple who decided to go farming and they set-up their farm in New Jersey, believe it or not. They started to go with Water Buffaloes. They are Brian and Courtney, an electrician and a school teacher. the name of their farm is Riverine Ranch.

The purpose of sharing this video is to show what kind of cheeses are traditionally made from buffalo milk in Middle East, Greece and Italy where Buffaloes are traditionally kept. Buffalo milk is used to make spicy Labneh cheese, ricotta and camembert type cheeses. I guess you can make these cheeses from cow's milk too, but buffalo milk is more suitable for these cheeses because of it's creaminess.

 

[Kusanar]

Buffalo milk is used to make spicy Labneh cheese, ricotta and camembert type cheeses. I guess you can make these cheeses from cow's milk too, but buffalo milk is more suitable for these cheeses because of it's creaminess.

My understanding is that the best mozzarella is made from Buffalo milk as well.

 

[River Buffaloes]

My understanding is that the best mozzarella is made from Buffalo milk as well.

Yes, that is absolutely true, but buffaloes are so much more than mozzarella. Buffalo milk is used to make many different types of cheeses, it is very suitable, more suitable than cow's milk for making paneer, ghee, yoghurt, chai or even drinking. It is much more nutritious and flavorful than cow's milk. It is also very suitable if you want to avoid diabetes or heart ailments. Buffalo milk contains significantly less cholesterol than cow's milk. It is also very good for healthy bones because it contains more calcium and phosphorus than cow's milk.

 

[Bruce]

The buffalo Camembert looks to be more dense than what we get here, I THINK it is sheep or goat, and is quite soft like brie.

Yep, they are from "New Yalk" alright

 

[River Buffaloes]

The buffalo Camembert looks to be more dense than what we get here, I THINK it is sheep or goat, and is quite soft like brie.

Yep, they are from "New Yalk" alright

Yes, perhaps because Buffalo milk is thicker than sheep or goats milk. Buffalo milk is also the best for making gelato.

Not all New Yorker's go to Vermont, some go to New Jersey as strange as it may sound.

 

[Bruce]

They have a very good reason to have their farm where it is in Jersey. It is close enough to the BIG MONEY in New York City to sell their products. Not near that kind of money up here.

 

[River Buffaloes]

They have a very good reason to have their farm where it is in Jersey. It is close enough to the BIG MONEY in New York City to sell their products. Not near that kind of money up here.

Now that you mention it, it sounds logical. I thought they decided to start their farm in New Jersey, because it was in their vicinity. I always viewed New York as a true American no nonsense money minded working class city and people from West coast cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco as a group which is more inclined to spend money on luxuries like gourmet cheeses, ice-creams and latest fashion and stuff like that. Since I am not from the States, I cannot know more than you do.

I must mention however that first buffalo dairy operations in the United States didn't start near big cities, it started in the South. Here is a 3 minutes video of a former cattle farmer who used to raise Angus cattle, after he came to know about buffaloes he bought a few in 1980, he eventually liked them so much that he started keeping buffaloes exclusively since 1991. He is from Arkansas.