The atmosphere was positively electric at the Bison Producers of Alberta (BPA) annual general meeting (AGM) and conference in Ponoka. Producers were enjoying the effects of the best bison meat prices ever and the mood of the event had everyone dreaming of a bigger and better industry.
Meat prices have surpassed the pre- BSE level of $3.50 (carcass per lb.) and are projected to soon reach $4, not bad for an industry that saw prices bottom out at $1 in 2005, if you could even find a buyer. Conference attendees heard a panel of eager meat buyers pleading for producers to sell them their bison even at the present high prices.
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Bison have become one of the bright lights in Alberta livestock production, but it’s been a long hard road to recovery. The industry was decimated with the outbreak of BSE, which caused the border to be closed to bison exports as they were lumped in with all other ruminants. There has never been a case of BSE or any other spongiform disease in bison. It took time but the U.S. border was reopened and exports resumed.
The other factor that has increased bison demand has been the marketing activities of local processors, brokers, exporters and dealers. They have opened up not just more local markets but have substantially increased bison meat exports to Europe. Alberta now has three federal and 16 provincial slaughter plants processing bison.
Bison buyers did caution producers that there might be a limit to what they can pay. “There is a limited amount of money to be made,” said Thomas Ackerman of Canadian Rangeland Bison. He noted that there are large numbers of live bison be marketed to the U.S. and that is going to affect domestic processors.
“We need to minimize live animal exports and process more here, “ Ackerman said.
Roger Provencher of Canadian Prairie Bison said that higher prices do have a consequence, “We are getting resistance from customers in Europe to these high prices.”
Provencher said that higher trim prices are being driven by U.S. markets, In the past, trim that is usually used for burgers was difficult to sell. Bison burgers are now a hot item at retail.
Checkoff increase nixed
However producers did not extend their good times feelings to their own organization, the Bison Producers of Alberta. Members voted down a resolution to increase the bison checkoff from $3 to $5. That motion was brought forth to deal with the ongoing deficit of the BPA, which has struggled during the bad years.
“The financial situation was so bad a couple of years ago that we were almost extinct,” said BPA manager Linda Sautner. That has been aggravated because the BPA checkoff has high refund requests and also has difficulties in the checkoff collection process with buyers and processors.
To further complicate the process, bison producers also pay a separate additional checkoff to the their national organization through the purchase of mandatory national ID eartags. Portions of that are shared by provincial producer organizations, but some of that checkoff
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Thomas Ackerman
Canadian Rangeland Bison
is also refundable. Some producer comments at the BPA AGM suggested that consideration be made to finding ways to implement one single bison checkoff to be paid by every producer.
BPA chairman Marvin Moore said that the organization is doing the best it can with the resources it has available.
“The BPA has worked hard to make sure that bison producers are included in every provincial support program that has been made available to other livestock producers. We have had more interaction with government officials than ever before.”
Moore also said that the BPA has received financial support from the Alberta Meat and Livestock Agency for promotion projects. “We are also at present involved in an electronic livestock manifest research project,” he said. Bison at present are not required to have manifests when they are being transported within Alberta.
Alberta Agriculture Minister Jack Hayden spoke at the banquet, noting the good times in the bison industry and encouraged producers to expand.
A bison breeding stock sale was held in conjunction with the BPA AGM and conference at Vold Jones Vold Auction Market. Average prices were not available at press time but approximately 80 bison were sold. Prices reflected the positive outlook for the industry with highs of $5,000.
