By Becky Zimmer

Strong showing of Canadian bison at Agribition

Nov 23, 2021 | 2:47 PM

MELFORT, Sask. – The Canadian Bison Association held their 38th annual convention at the Canadian Western Agribition this week.

Judges Kent McAllister and Garrett Brown had a look at over 57 animals from producers across Western Canada.

Brown, a third-generation bison farmer from Oregon said during the award ceremony that there was not a single animal that he would not want for his own herd.

“I said every time I come up here how impressed I am with the quality animals that there is out there. And there isn’t one out there that I wouldn’t take home with me if I could fit it in my luggage,” Brown said.

“Hats off to producers that brought in some real quality stuff,” said McAllister, who has a breeding operation outside Kitscoty, Alta.

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The bison sales session was later that evening at the Ramada with Saskatchewan Bison Association director and a bison producer Keegan Kitzul telling farmnewsNOW some championship bison went for good prices.

“Obviously, the sales are never as good as what we want them to be but they’re still turned off pretty good for the years,” Kitzul said.

One highlight of the sale was Silver Creek Bison’s championship bull which sold for $21,500.

Overall, other animals sold on average between $8,406 and $2,000.

Bison is a meat driven industry and while the animals being judged are for breeding, bison judges were looking for things like length, muscling, and thickness, similar to how cattle are also judged.

With many good animals being shown at the showcase and sale, everyone has something a little different, said Kitzul. That means greater diversity that producers will now take to their own operations.

COVID has been a godsend for the bison market, said Kitzul, since consumers have been turning to bison meat following packing plant issues and red protein shortages.

“The uptake on it was great and lots of consumer response on it that they’d continue to buy it. At the same time the off-the-farm market has grown, as well as lots of producers have taken it into their own hands to market their animals off their own farm and just going consumer direct.”

While this year has been a challenge for most livestock producers, Kitzul said there is still lots of room for growth within the industry.

A big winner during the award ceremony and the bison sale was Silver Creek Bison and Nolan Miller who will be taking Premier Breeder, Grand Champion Male and Reserve Champion Female honours home to his bison operation in Binscarth, Man.

Silver Creek Bison and Nolan Miller will be taking some big honours back to his Binscarth, Man. bison operation. (Becky Zimmer/farmnewsNOW Staff)

It is always good to get that recognition and advertising for their breeding programs, Miller told farmnewsNOW.

Miller has been in the bison industry for 30 years and when he first joined the industry, bison production was more of a hobby. Miller’s dad actually bought six head post-retirement but now have 1,800 head, he laughs.

While bison can look intimidating based on their size, Miller said they can be easy to work with if producers put the time in.

“An old icon of the industry used to say you can only make a buffalo go where it wants to go. That does have some truth to it, but you basically make them want to go in there. Like, you know if you can work them with feed…if you give them nice feed down at the end of that pasture that’s where they’re going to go.”

Bison from across Western Canada were featured at Agribition on Monday and Tuesday with producers packing up the follow day.

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becky.zimmer@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @bex_zim