RIMBEY, Alta. – When visitors come to Maurice and Pat Moore’s farm, there is a good chance bison will be the main course for dinner.
The Rimbey, Alta., couple believe in eating what they produce, so there are always buffalo burgers ready to toss on the barbecue if friends drop by.
The Moores’ farming career has included time as pedigreed seed growers, livestock producers and auction barn operators.
As a retirement project in 1994, they decided to find a quarter section of land, build a nice house and buy some buffalo.
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“We were working in diversified livestock industry with Norm (Maurice’s brother) in the auction business so we were quite familiar with all the different alternatives that were out there,” Maurice said.
“In looking at them all, the two that looked the most attractive to us were the elk and the buffalo.”
The decision to buy bison became easier when they learned the animals did not cost as much as other species. Nor do they require as much work.
For people like the Moores, the greatest pleasure from the animals comes from watching them. They set up a corral and handling system in clear view of their front deck. They have discovered the individualism of each animal by temperament or shaggy hairdo.
A bonus for the Moores is that they like the meat.
“People eating it think it’s a high quality beef,” said Maurice. “You don’t have to teach people to eat it. We knew with some effort the markets would develop and last a long time.”
Bison are an ancient species.
Two centuries ago, herds of buffalo turned the prairie into a dusty carpet of shaggy, snorting animals. By the end of the 19th century, they had been hunted almost to extinction. Fewer than 1,000 head survived.
The Canadian herd has since been rebuilt to 70,000 head. Outside of a few veterans who raised buffalo more than 20 years ago, few of today’s producers have been involved for long.
“As an industry, it has only taken off in the last six or seven years,” said Maurice.
The industry calculates that at its present rate of growth, it could take another 50 years to match 10 percent of the national beef herd in number.
“It’s virtually impossible for us to overproduce. We can only produce so much,” said Maurice.
Bison drop one calf a year and reach maturity later than domestic animals.
However, as wild animals, they have developed strong survival qualities through natural selection.
They are generally healthy but undergo regular tuberculosis and brucellosis testing. Animals cannot leave a farm without negative TB or brucellosis status and must wear ear tags to indicate they are disease free. This is a permanent Agriculture Canada registration that can be used to trace animals if problems arise.
The Moores also treat their bison for internal parasites including roundworms and stomach worms.
They had 46 cows calving at their Triple Seven Bison Ranch this spring. The calves resemble beef cattle and their mothers are highly protective of their wobbly legged, coffee-and-cream-colored babies.
Three bulls run with the herd.
Cows are bred in July and August when they are two years old and calve the following spring when they are three.
Producers used to be reluctant to raise bison because they thought they were too ornery, but breeders have since decided it may be more of a people problem than a buffalo problem, Maurice said.
Working with bison takes time and patience and humans have learned to adapt the animals’ natural behavior patterns to move them through corrals and chutes for dehorning or vaccinations.
There are half a dozen firms that build handling systems for animals like bison and elk.
People are also learning about bison genetics.
Until recently, producers bred all the animals they owned to get more breeding stock. Most females are still used as breeders, but people are becoming more selective with the bulls.
Selection criteria is not always based on the notion that bigger is better, since some breeders believe if bulls are allowed to grow too big, calving problems in the future will be a certainty.
No one castrates bison.
All bulls are semen tested in chutes at 18 to 20 months to avoid fertility problems.
A breeding bull reaches 2,000 lb. by the time it is six to eight years old.
Proper feed rations are important for cow fertility, since cows will not get pregnant if their diet is poor and because they need to gain weight steadily for two months before becoming pregnant. If it stays healthy, a cow can calve every year until it is past 20.
Feeding is simple. Many producers keep them entirely on grass and the animals thrive. If they receive grain, it is usually oats because barley is too heavy for breeding animals.
The Moores do not keep all of their bulls, selling some to a nearby feedlot in Rimbey.
To finish bulls for slaughter, calves receive a maintenance ration during the winter and then are let loose in the pasture during summer. In November they go to the feedlot and are fed a grain and hay ration for about 90-120 days.
Buffalo are slower to finish in a feedlot than a steer and may be 20 to 26 months old before they are ready for slaughter at about 1,100 lb.
Producers are encouraged to select more judiciously for meat production by looking for good body conformation, length, good muscling in the hip, sound feet and overall good health.
The meat trade has become a primary objective for the Canadian and provincial bison associations.
“If we didn’t have a meat market, we wouldn’t have a heifer market,” Pat said.
Considerable time is spent on new product development. Similar to the beef trade where it is easy to move high-end cuts, nobody wants the trim. The result has been the development of buffalo jerky, bacon and smokies.
Four companies are marketing bison and most of the meat is shipped to the United States.
Bison are slaughtered in Alberta at federally approved plants in Fort MacMurray, Edmonton and Fort Macleod. The Fort Macleod plant has been approved by the European Union so meat can be exported there without restrictions.
Bison meat enjoys some advantages in the market.
Consumers are familiar with the animals and many have come to accept the argument that bison meat has shorter fibres, which makes it tender if cooked properly. Because the meat is lean, it can dry out quickly if overcooked.
Producers are working with grocery stores to place bison in the meat counter along with recipe cards.
