Strong prices at Agribition signal bison rebound
REGINA — Higher sale prices than last year are an encouraging sign for bison producers, said national show and sale chair Robert Johnson.
The sale, held during Canadian Western Agribition, is the first of the production season, and Johnson said it always come with a little apprehension about where prices will land.
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However, he said prices were up substantially over 2024, and that indicates the market has really turned.
“Buyers are buying with a lot more confidence than they were last year,” Johnson said after the sale.
“At our sale, everybody from our producer panel to the marketers panel all said that barring a black swan event or anything like that, we should be in for a pretty good ride here for the next four years, five years.”
Why it Matters: Bison producers have been affected by drought and a post-COVID slump, but a shortage of supply is pushing prices higher.
The high selling lot at the sale was a two-year-old bull consigned by Silver Creek Bison from Binscarth, Man. He was the reserve grand champion and sold online to a Manitoba buyer for $14,500.
The grand champion bull, a yearling from JT Bison Co. at Carievale, Sask., sold for $6,750.
Both top female show winners went for $10,000 each. An open 2024 heifer from XY Bison at Fort St. John, B.C., topped the female show, while Johnson’s RJ Game Farm at Fairlight, Sask,. showed the reserve. RJ Game Farm was premier exhibitor and Silver Creek received the herdsman award, while Brian Haliuk was rookie exhibitor of the year.
Overall, 54 lots sold for an average price of $6,130.
There is a shortage of supply in both Canada and the United States to meet consumer demand. Johnson said more producers are needed, but many established producers are looking to expand.
Large operations such as Irish Creek stocked up at this sale, for example.
However, Johnson said a decent start to winter and reasonable feed prices could be the expansion trigger for producers who have 40 or 50 cows.
Auctioneer Brennin Jack encouraged producers to stock up on bred heifers at the Nov. 25 sale prices, saying they won’t be available for the same prices in the spring.
“You’re going to have to buy these breds one or two at a time or they’re going to be on a train going south,” he said.
The exchange rate of about $1.40 gives American buyers more buying power, even with the approximately $150 per head it costs for state testing fees and health certificates, Johnson said.
“Later this year, when you’ve got bigger groups of animals from one single ranch … those heifers are sure going to bring a premium,” he said.
Johnson said the quality of the animals on offer at Agribition was top notch and included a DNA-tested pure Plains animal, which is a growing segment of the industry.
Many producers haven’t yet sold their calves because it’s just not the right time of the year, but he added they should be pleased with the price signals from the show after the post-COVID and drought slump.
Source: www.producer.com