Salt Ash producers sell Bison cross animals at sale

It might sound like the start of a joke but the result is no laughing matter.

Salt Ash producer Rodney Sansom offered his bison cross cows at the Maitland cattle sale recently, believing they may have been some of a very few in the country.

The two cows received $2000 each while one of their weaner progeny made $1400.

Mr Sansom runs about 150 Angus cows at Oakfield Ranch and decided to run his Bison bull in with some Angus sires.

Unfortunately he only produced two calves before dying of old age but the few progeny impressed.

"They tell me they breed again with anything, so bison or cattle breeds," he said.

"A lot of people use them for cutting because they just love running. We had them here for a while and were having a bit of a clean out so they had to go."

Mr Sansom said the crossbred animals were very good doers and easier to fatten than bison.

"They didn't calve until they were older," he said.

"One of them is three-year-old and just started springing."

Beefalo, as they are known overseas, aren't uncommon in places like America but often the timid nature of a bison, particularly in a mob of other domestic bulls, would prevent him from fighting to serve a female.

The crossbreed were among a tribe of different livestock that Mr Sansom runs on his 600 acre property and uses for television advertisements and filming commitments.

Everything from camels, horses, cattle, sheep, water buffalo and chickens call Oakfield Ranch home.

The recent Crocodile Dundee ad famously premiered during the American Super Bowl and the grey goat in the Holden Colorado photos are just some of the famous faces.

When it comes to training Mr Sansom said success came down to technique.

"You have got to work with the animal and how they work," he said.