Northstar Bison review: is it worth the price?
Pasture-raised, field-harvested bison from Wisconsin, checked per pound.
Northstar Bison (northstarbison.com) is a Wisconsin ranch and butcher that sells pasture-raised bison, plus grass-fed beef, lamb, organs, bones and tallow, and field-harvests its animals. We read its public store every day with 32 other US ranches, so here is every Northstar listing we can price per pound, next to the cheapest listing elsewhere and the middle price. No star ratings, no made-up reviews.
Northstar Bison prices per lb vs other ranches
Northstar’s cheapest in-stock listing for each cut on Nov 4, 2026 (bison first), against the cheapest listing at any other ranch and the middle listing across all of them. “Middle” is the real middle listing, not an average.
| Cut | Northstar, cheapest | Cheapest elsewhere | Other ranches, middle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground bison | $22.00/lbBison Ground · 1 lb · $22.00 | $16.50/lbFlint Hills Bison Company | $22.50/lb (7) |
| Bison steaks | $51.68/lbBison New York Strip Steak · 6 oz Trimmed (2 @ 3 oz/pack) · $19.38 | $35.17/lbParker Pastures | $57.50/lb (26) |
| Marrow & soup bones | $7.90/lbBeef Knuckle Bones · $39.50 | $4.66/lbHome Place Pastures | $10.01/lb (30) |
| Tallow & suet | $14.00/lbBeef Suet · 2 lb · $28.00 | $5.00/lbStemple Creek Ranch | $11.99/lb (28) |
| Short ribs | $17.66/lbBeef Short Ribs · $53.00 | $11.39/lbBeck Ranch | $16.90/lb (38) |
| Ground beef | $18.00/lbBeef Ground · 1 lb · $18.00 | $7.25/lbJoyce Farms | $13.87/lb (103) |
| Beef kidney | $22.01/lbBeef Kidney · $16.50 | $7.99/lbGrand View Beef | $13.43/lb (7) |
| Beef tongue | $22.50/lbBeef Tongue · $45.00 | $6.28/lbHome Place Pastures | $13.59/lb (11) |
| Brisket | $25.38/lbBeef Brisket · 6.5LB · $165.00 | $6.50/lbJoyce Farms | $15.36/lb (48) |
| Burger patties | $26.00/lbBeef Patties · 8 oz Sliders · $13.00 | $9.96/lbParker Pastures | $14.94/lb (21) |
| Stew meat | $27.97/lbBeef Stew Meat · $28.00 | $9.00/lbPorter Road | $15.99/lb (19) |
| Tri-tip | $29.00/lbBeef Tri-Tip Roast · 2 lb · $58.00 | $10.00/lbWholly Cow Market | $22.50/lb (18) |
| Chuck roast | $31.17/lbBeef Chuck Roast · Boneless, 5lbs · $155.85 | $14.08/lbUS Wellness Meats | $16.60/lb (20) |
| Flank & skirt steak | $31.97/lbBeef Flank Steak · $32.00 | $10.99/lbWholly Cow Market | $29.93/lb (52) |
| Oxtail | $31.97/lbBeef Oxtail · $32.00 | $7.46/lbBeck Ranch | $14.41/lb (10) |
| Beef liver | $33.97/lbBeef Liver · $17.00 | $6.99/lbPorter Road | $13.99/lb (21) |
| Ground lamb | $34.00/lbLamb Ground · 1 lb · $34.00 | $12.86/lbAcabonac Farms | $17.96/lb (4) |
| Sirloin | $45.44/lbBeef Top Sirloin Steak · 10 oz · $28.40 | $19.00/lbTexas Grassfed Beef | $32.50/lb (44) |
| Lamb chops & rack | $49.96/lbLamb Sirloin Chops · $50.00 | $24.00/lbLick Skillet Farm | $51.13/lb (16) |
| New York strip | $59.64/lbBeef New York Strip Steak · 11 oz · $41.00 | $22.98/lbSnake River Farms | $45.52/lb (51) |
| Ribeye | $64.89/lbBeef Ribeye Steak · 18 oz · $73.00 | $26.46/lbUS Wellness Meats | $46.54/lb (66) |
Its cheapest listing was at or below the other ranches’ middle price for 4 of 21 cuts. Most weights come from the variant name (“1 lb”, “10 oz”), so these are clean per-pound prices; it sells many steaks in several sizes, and we show the cheapest per pound. Shipping is left out (see below). Every listing is on the Northstar Bison price page.
Northstar vs other places to buy bison meat
Ground bison: Northstar from $22.00/lb; the middle of 18 in-stock ground bison listings across all ranches was $24.18/lb, cheapest $16.50/lb at Flint Hills Bison Company. Bison steaks: Northstar from $51.68/lb (Bison New York Strip Steak · 6 oz Trimmed (2 @ 3 oz/pack)); the middle of 58 bison steak listings was $60.00/lb. Other ranches with bison today: Flint Hills Bison Company, Force of Nature, Wild Idea Buffalo, Parker Pastures, US Wellness Meats. See bison meat prices, all ground bison, all bison steaks, Northstar Bison vs White Oak Pastures and the Force of Nature review (bison and beef).
Where Northstar is good value (and where it isn’t)
Bones are good value: Beef Knuckle Bones at $7.90/lb (middle elsewhere $10.01/lb). Suet and tallow from $14.00/lb (Beef Suet · 2 lb). Its ground beef starts at $18.00/lb, above the middle of $13.95/lb across 108 ground beef listings, so ground beef is cheaper elsewhere (cheapest ground beef). Ribeye from $64.89/lb vs a middle of $46.54/lb elsewhere. Compare steaks on ribeye and NY strip before you buy. Other cuts: marrow bones, beef tallow, lamb prices.
How Northstar raises and harvests its animals
Its field-harvesting FAQ (Nov 4, 2026) says its ruminants (bison, beef, lamb) are not raised on grain-based diets; they graze pasture on a species-appropriate diet. Pigs and poultry eat grains along with forage. Animals are harvested in the field, in their familiar pasture, instead of going through pens and a conventional plant, which Northstar says lowers stress and improves meat quality. See grass-fed vs grass-finished.
Northstar Bison shipping
Per its shipping page (Nov 4, 2026): standard shipping goes out on Mondays and costs 20.95 USD under 100 USD, 15.95 USD from 100 to 250 USD, and is free from 250 USD. 2-day express starts at 25.95 USD, next-day at 50 USD and Saturday delivery at 85 USD, priced by weight. Alaska and Hawaii are express only. Orders ship frozen with dry ice, and it offers paid shipping protection at checkout. There is also local pickup in Wisconsin.
Grass-fed ranches ranked by price
For beef rather than bison, these US ranches were cheapest cut for cut on Nov 4, 2026 (how the ranking works):
- Joyce Farms · ground beef $7.25/lb
- Home Place Pastures · ground beef $10.00/lb
- Good Ranchers · ground beef $9.60/lb
- Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed · ground beef $8.49/lb
- US Wellness Meats · ground beef $12.13/lb
Other reviews: Force of Nature, US Wellness Meats, White Oak Pastures, Porter Road.
Ranch links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes the order, which is always by price per pound. Disclosure
Questions
Is Northstar Bison worth the price?
For bison, it is a strong pick: 43 in-stock bison listings with a weight on Nov 4, 2026, more than any other ranch we track (6 ranches sold bison). Its ground bison started at $22.00/lb against a middle of $24.18/lb across 18 ground bison listings. Its cheapest listing was at or below the middle price of the other ranches for 4 of 21 cuts. Across all its beef it priced 36% above the middle listing, 22 of 24 ranches on our price index. It is the bison specialist; for everyday beef, check each cut in the table below.
How much is Northstar ground bison per pound?
On Nov 4, 2026 its cheapest in-stock ground bison was $22.00/lb (Bison Ground · 1 lb, $22.00). It had 11 ground bison listings, including ground chuck, sirloin, brisket, short rib and blends. Across all ranches, ground bison ran from $16.50/lb (Flint Hills Bison Company) with a middle of $24.18/lb.
Are Northstar Bison animals grass-fed?
Its FAQ on field harvesting (Nov 4, 2026) says its ruminants (bison, beef, lamb) are not raised on grain-based diets but on pasture, grazing a species-appropriate diet; pigs and poultry get grains as part of their natural diet. Northstar also field-harvests its animals on pasture instead of trucking them to a conventional slaughter plant, to cut stress before harvest. In our data almost all of its beef, bison and lamb listings carry a grass-finished claim.
How much does Northstar Bison shipping cost?
Per its shipping page (Nov 4, 2026): standard shipping (ships Mondays) is 20.95 USD on orders under 100 USD, 15.95 USD from 100 to 250 USD, and free from 250 USD. 2-day express starts at 25.95 USD and next-day at 50 USD, both by weight. Alaska and Hawaii are express only. Shipping isn’t included in our per-pound prices.
Is Northstar Bison cheaper than Wild Idea Buffalo?
For ground bison on Nov 4, 2026: Northstar from $22.00/lb, Wild Idea Buffalo from $22.00/lb. For bison steaks: Northstar from $51.68/lb, Wild Idea from $53.36/lb. See Northstar Bison vs Wild Idea Buffalo for every shared cut.
Where can I buy bison meat online?
On Nov 4, 2026 we found in-stock bison with a listed weight at 6 ranches that ship: Flint Hills Bison Company, Force of Nature, Wild Idea Buffalo, Northstar Bison, Parker Pastures, US Wellness Meats. Northstar had the most listings. Our bison price page ranks every listing per pound.
Do you earn money from Northstar Bison?
Not today. Northstar Bison links on this page are plain links. We don’t publish star ratings or customer reviews, only prices we can check.
Sources: feeding and harvest facts from Northstar Bison’s field-harvesting FAQ; shipping from its shipping page and shipping policy, all read Nov 4, 2026. Per-cut prices are read daily from each store’s public catalog, Northstar included. Methodology.