Bison industry pressured by pandemic as well

by | May 7, 2020 | 5 Ag Stories, News

It seems like it is just the latest in agriculture sectors as they go by. Ethanol, corn, pork, beef, soybeans, dairy, sheep, fruits, vegetables, eggs, and now we can add bison to the list of commodities feeling the pinch of COVID-19.

Bison is just a small sector of Agriculture, but it has been seeing steady growth over the past decade or more. However, they have been just as vulnerable as every other commodity. National Bison Association Executive Director Dave Carter says the Bison industry is facing some tough challenges during this pandemic. The loss of restaurants and the foodservice industry has been the largest catalyst.

Carter says producers have lost almost 40 cents per pound since the beginning of the outbreak.

The damage to the ethanol industry has affected bison as well. Their producers count on the distiller?s grains as a large part of their feed source.

The only silver lining to their dark cloud is that they have not had bison processors shut completely down. However, there have been some scale backs due to employees testing positive for COVID-19.