Volume XI-Issue 611
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April 04, 2016
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In This Week’s Issue Rotary Garage Sale Page 2
Compassion Fatigue
Bison graze in the spring sun outside Mannville. Photo Marie Conboy
Page 4
Marie Conboy
Community Man
Reporter
Page 10
Kitscoty Play Page 11
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Bison Demand Higher Than Ever
With the demand for bison rising producers are looking to a future with a larger thriving and naturally raised bison populations as a key component of a sustainable Canadian agriculture industry. Bison breeder Phil Staden from south of M a n nv i l l e, w h o h a s b e e n far m i n g bison since 1992, says he has noticed an increased demand in the industry. “There is a huge demand for the product right now; bison are probably the bright lights of the agricultural industry with more people wanting to eat bison than what is available across North America and for export to Europe,” said Staden. People are experiencing the richness of bison meat and it is becoming increasingly popular in restaurants and on dinner tables as part of a memorable eating experience. Bison meat is a highly nutrient dense food because of the proportion of protein, fat, mineral, and fatty acids to its caloric value. It is low in fat (less than 2%) and has a greater concentration of iron, and some essential fatty acids than beef. “When BSE hit the beef industry it was even more decimating to the bison. We didn’t have enough competitive slaughter
houses to compete for the product when it couldn’t go to the United States. But right now it looks good and like the market will continue. We use CFIA approved tags and every animal is traceable.” Bison are the largest of the wild game species raised on ranches. Buffalo bulls can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds, while the cows weigh between 800 and 1,000 pounds. Phil says bison are not dangerous if you respect them and handle them with diligence. “ When a bison is angr y, it gives you plent y of warning signs. Most injuries occur in the buffalo industry when they start accepting you in their social order. We are careful not to put ourselves in a dangerous position; we never get into a situation where you turn your back within 3 feet of a bull or cow. “They are very hardy and well adapted to our northern climate. They are low maintenance and with their natural advantages they’re still quite self sufficient,” said Staden. “At this point with the demand, and as long as the financial return is there, I suspect that existing herds will continue to get larger and more people will want to expand into bison farming.”
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In the mid-1970s food marketers in Alberta teamed up with pioneering bison ranchers to introduce bison meat to food retailers in Europe and North America. What began as a trickle of sales into highend restaurants grew steadily to the present – bison meat is now available at major family restaurant chains and grocer y stores in many markets. Producers formed the Canadian Bison Association (CBA) in 1983, and today have 900 producers with over 150,000 bison on their farms and ranches according to CBA 2015 statistics. Terry Kremeniuk, Director of the Canadian Bison Association, said last week that in the 13 years he has been with the industry, the current bison market is the best that he has seen it. “There is a demand in the bigger cities in Canada. We have been seeing stable profits recently and from my perspective there is a lot of interest in getting into the industry. With the weakness in the oil patch there are young men and woman coming back home to the farm and they are expanding into the bison industr y, but it takes a while for that interest to be converted into an increase in the number of animals,” said Kremeniuk.