The Week In Review
CBA Membership Renewal
Time is running out to be included in the Membership edition of Smoke Signals.
Renew your membership today by calling 306-522-4762 or go to Canadian Bison Association :: Membership Registration.
Membership fees are due December 31st.
Renew Your Membership Today
'It's Going To Be Worth It': Northwestern Ontario Bison Farm Rides Out COVID-19, Drought
CBC News / Gord Ellis
When most people think of bison, thundering herds of the shaggy animals running through open plains or grasslands of the prairies may come to mind.
On Stanley Hill Bison farm, located north of Thunder Bay Ont., that scene is a little different. Especially in the last year as drought conditions and the pandemic present unique challenges.
The farm has been raising these huge beasts for some time and have developed a keen customer base.
Tim Janssens runs the farm with his wife Ashley. He said starting a bison farm grew out of a childhood interest.
"I grew up on a dairy farm," said Janssens. "And I've always loved bison."
"I bought two when I was 17. So one day my wife said I needed to start a hobby and the rest is history," he said. Read More HERE
Stanley Hill Bison Farm Hopes For More Consistent Rainfall In 2022
TBNewsWatch / Justin Hardy
THUNDER BAY – Stanley Hill Bison farm, located near the city, has been raising bison for some time, but this summer and last summer’s drought conditions made Ashley and Tim Janssens, the owners, scale back their herd and keep the number of animals to below 55.
Bison are large animals and, as such, require an immense amount of food. The cows can weigh over 360 kilograms, and the Janssens breeding bull, Ferdinand, is estimated to weigh around 900 kilograms, with Ferdinand’s son, the “chaser bull” is around the 700-kilogram mark.
The drought conditions, coupled with the sandy soil of the area, wreaked havoc on the farm and their animals. Read More HERE
'Empowering': Bison herd grows at Woodland Cree First Nation
Edmonton Journal / Lauren Boothby
After their disappearance for more than century, Chief Isaac Laboucan-Avirom looks at his nation’s herd of wood bison and feels inspired.
“It just means so much, like anything is possible,” he said.
As a young firefighter, Laboucan-Avirom found a bison skull near his homelands at Woodland Cree First Nation and heard the message to bring them back.
In September 2019, his nation joined more than two dozen others in signing the Buffalo Treaty with the goal of restoring bison to the wild. A few weeks later, Parks Canada offered a herd, and he knew it was time.
Fourteen wood bison were translocated from Elk Island National Park In March 2020 to begin the nation’s process of repopulating their lands with a species that nearly went extinct. Now, there are 18. Read More HERE
Cut Of The Week
Rangeland Steaks
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Northwind Bison In Mapleton Is Where The Buffalo Roam
Wellington Advertiser / Jordan Snobelen
MAPLETON – Followed by an energetic dog by the name of Trigger, Amanda and Shane Stege walk between conifer trees, peeling back their needly, overlapping branches.
Beyond the evergreen curtain stands a herd of hefty bison – also called buffalo – their breath cloudy in the December air.
The bison belong to the Steges, who own and operate Northwind Bison on their Mapleton farm property.
Raising North America’s largest land mammal is a rare form of agriculture, not only in Wellington County, but the province at large with around 30 bison operations registered with the Ontario Bison Association and 49 Ontario farms reporting bison in a 2016 Canadian Bison Association census. Read More HERE
Recipes for Entertaining!
Noble Premium Bison
https://noblepremiumbison.com/cooking/
recipes/bison-satays-with-peanut-sauce/
Northeastern Ontario Farmer Captures Lost Bison Herd
CBC News /
A northeastern Ontario farmer said the past month has been challenging and busy as he continued to search for his lost herd of bison, but now Mesut Ates has something to celebrate as the herd is now home.
In December, a herd of bison escaped from his farm in Crystal Falls, Ont. A windstorm toppled a tree on his property, allowing his eight yearling bison to escape.
Later that evening, OPP responded to a single-car crash on Highway 64. The herd had walked onto the highway and the driver hit one of the bison. No one was injured, but one animal died.
Since then, Ates and many others in his community had been searching for the remaining seven. Read More HERE
National Buffalo Museum Adds Painting To Permanent Collection
Jamestown Sun /
The National Buffalo Museum has announced the purchase of one of contemporary wildlife artist Elizabeth Mordensky’s large-scale oil finger paintings for inclusion in the museum’s permanent collection. "Cow Bison and Her Red Dog Calf" has been on exhibit at the museum since July, along with two of Mordensky’s other works, painted specifically for exhibit in the museum’s space.
Mordensky’s pieces have been catching the attention of in-person visitors and social media followers since they were introduced this summer, the museum said. After enjoying the works for several months, the museum’s Visitor Experience and Collection’s Committee and board of directors voted to purchase "Cow Bison and Her Red Dog Calf" from the artist. Read More HERE
Press Release HERE
Wolves Harass Bison at YNP
Montana Outdoors /
See Video HERE
Did You Know...
- FCC expands three loan programs aimed at younger producers. More HERE
- Hay West: more hay needed. More HERE
