Harry Buffalo

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U.S., Canadian Commercial Marketers Release Unified Statement Press Release produced jointly by the US and Canadian Bison Associations September 9, 2010 With bison marketers on both sides of the border struggling to meet the burgeoning demand for bison meat, the Commercial Marketers' Committee of the National Bison Association, and their counterparts from Canada met yesterday to adopt a unified statement to be made available to retailers, restaurant operators and the general public. The statement adopted by the commercial marketers explains the factors behind the current shortages, and requests patience from customers as the industry works with ranchers to grow the herds of buffalo in the United States and Canada. Bruce Anderson, chair of the NBA Commercial Marketers' Committee, explained, "All of us are getting peppered with questions from our customers regarding the increasing prices and shortage of supply. Our associations, likewise, are fielding similar questions. We thought it would be very helpful to develop one statement that provides a concise, consistent explanation of the issue." The statement adopted by the Commercial Marketers' reads: Statement of the North American Bison Industry Developed by the Commercial Marketers of the National Bison Association and the Canadian Bison Association Barely more than a century ago, the North American Bison teetered on the precipice of extinction, with fewer than 1,000 animals left in existence. Today's bison herd is nearing half million animals thanks in part to retailers and restaurants introducing the American public to the great taste, nutritional attributes, and rich story of bison. The National Bison Association and Canadian Bison Association have quipped-somewhat tongue-in-cheek-that the best way to save bison was to eat them. That is a fact. The exploding demand for bison meat has helped spur the restoration of bison on the prairies and pastures of North America. Demand is now outstripping our current supply, which creates significant challenges for our partners in the retail, restaurant, and distribution channels. Ranchers, processors and marketers want to supply the marketplace with every ounce of bison products requested by your customers. But we also face some challenges that will require patience from everyone as we move forward: Our associations today are working to "grow the herd" of bison across North America by reaching out to producers who are wary of being a part of commodity agriculture. We are conducting workshops across the country on bison production, producing new materials to assist ranchers in making a transition, reaching out to lenders to finance bison operations, and even working directly with the National FFA to foster a new generation of bison producers. We cannot address the supply shortage overnight, but we want to work with everyone in the marketplace-producers, processors, distributors, retailers and restaurateurs-as we navigate through these market challenges. Please stay with us as we work through this. We have always considered ourselves partners with retailers and foodservice operators.

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