EDMONTON – Richard Ference displayed an unwavering confidence in the bison industry recently when he paid $24,000, a Canadian record for the grand champion bull.
“It’s going to be strong for a long time,” said Ference of Elk Point, Alta., who along with his wife Laurie and partners Andrew and Shannon Boddy bought the grand champion bull at the Wild Rose Classic Bison show and sale held here March 29.
With more farmers realizing bison are easier to look after than cattle, Ference sees only sunny skies for the industry for the next decade.
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“Cattle prices are low, or they’re up and down. Bison are far more consistent and it’s a lot easier to work with bison than cattle,” said Ference, who switched from elk to bison a few years ago.
“The interest is just unreal,” he said.
Judd Bunnage, Alberta agriculture bison specialist, agrees.
“People are so desperate to get started they’ll pay anything to get a few,” he said.
Quality animals
Ken Olson, a director of the Peace Country Bison Association from Fort Assiniboine, Alta., said while he was surprised at the high prices paid for bison at the sale, the animals were billed as the best.
“With a very few exceptions, they were top quality animals,” said Olson.
Bidders obviously didn’t hear or weren’t concerned when economist Ken Bunnage predicted at a bison seminar the day before the sale that bison prices were on the verge of dropping.
“Are we at the top of the cycle?” Bunnage asked. “Eventually consumers will have to eat the product. Right now we’re eating bulls, but not slaughtering any cows.”
Once the meat market develops, prices have to drop, he said.
Olson agreed and said there are factors other than economics driving the market right now.
“We’ve got to deal with human nature. So many people realize bison are easier to look after,” he said. “There’s so many guys wanting to get in and there’s not enough heifers to get around.”
That’s a sentiment Ference takes to heart when referring to his grand champion bull: “We wanted to get him and we got him.”
