The Week In Review
Smoke Signals February Issue
For those CBA members who have created their account on the Canadian Bison Association website, the February issue of Smoke Signals is now online and available to access.
As well, the member directory is live in the member section of the website: Canadian Bison Association :: Login
New Livestock Transport Rules May Cause Tie-Ups At Rest Stops
Canadian Cattlemen / Lois Harris
The federal government has decided to stick to its February 20, 2022 deadline for enforcing new feed, water and rest (FWR) rules around transporting cattle despite a one-year extension request by several industry organizations.
“We wanted to ensure ongoing research around the effects of rest stops for beef cattle was completed before the feed-water-rest requirements are enforced,” says Brady Stadnicki, former manager of policy and programs for the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA). “We wanted to ensure that any rule change is based in science. The research — reflecting Canadian conditions, our geography and commercial loads — is critical and there needed to be ample time to review it.”
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) had previously granted a two-year extension from February 2020, when several other livestock transportation regulation amendments came into force. According to the CFIA, the extension for feed, water and rest (FWR) requirements was granted to provide education and awareness and to allow the industry to make adjustments, identify problems and work on them. Read More HERE
Elk Island National Park Selling Wood Bison
Elk Island National Park of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta is selling +/-38 WOOD Bison by tender. Please see attached document HERE which includes detailed information.
Cut Of The Week
Rangeland Steaks
https://www.rangelandsteaks.com/
products/new-york-steak
AgriRecovery Program Expands
Manitoba Cooperator / Alexis Stockford
Livestock producers hoping to tap AgriRecovery will now be able to claim things like land rentals, fencing or costs for hauling water or harvesting extra forage acres during last year’s drought.
The province and federal government announced the expanded Livestock Feed and Transportation Drought Assistance program Feb. 2.
Elk producers are now also able to apply for aid for their breeding stock. The original form of the program included only breeding animals of beef or dairy cattle, horses for PMU, sheep, goats or bison. Read More HERE
Recovery Plan Announced For B.C. Farmers
Western Producer / Doug Ferguson
British Columbia producers who are picking up the pieces following unprecedented flooding in 2021 can now collectively access up to $228 million under a federal-provincial disaster relief program.
The Canada-B.C. Flood Recovery for Food Security Program will help farmers with extraordinary expenses from uninsurable damages.
"The flooding and landslides resulted in the largest-ever agricultural disaster in B.C.'s history, and arguably one of the worst years ever for farming in our province," B.C. agriculture minister Lana Popham said today during a news conference.
The overall damage sustained by farmers is likely about $285 million based on input from private insurance companies and assessors, she added. The program will help producers with expenses that include:
· Returning flood-impacted land and buildings to a safe environment for agricultural production, including cleanup, repair and restoration of land, barns and animal shelters, along with water and waste systems. Read More HERE
February is Heart Healthy Month!
Noble Premium Bison
https://noblepremiumbison.com/cooking
/recipes/bison-parsnip-kofta/
Bison Herd Could Grow In Size Rapidly When They Arrive At Canterbury's Blean Woods
Kent Online / Joe Wright
Project leaders introducing a herd of bison to the Canterbury countryside say the group could multiply in size rapidly.
A quartet of what is Europe’s largest mammal will soon be roaming across 500 acres of West Blean’s ancient woodland as part of a bold rewilding scheme.
The £1.1 million plan, headed up by the Wildwood Trust and Kent Wildlife Trust, is the first of its kind in the UK and hoped to be a trailblazer for other areas to follow suit.
Preparations have been ongoing for the past year-and-a-half, and despite challenges brought about by Brexit, the wild beasts are set to arrive in Kent within two months.
Paul Whitfield, director general at Wildwood, said: “It’s due to be at some point in April, or the end of March. Read More HERE
Deep Snow Is Forcing Bison Onto Interior Alaska Roads
Alaska Public Media / Tim Ellis
Bison have been spending their winters in the farmlands near Delta Junction in Interior Alaska for decades.
But this year’s deep, icy snowpack has forced the animals to forage on farms and travel on roadways. And that’s put both the bison and drivers at risk.
A YouTube video — uploaded in late January and making its rounds online — shows what can happen when vehicles encounter bison on a roadway. With no other way to get around the vehicle except through deep snow off the sides of the road, the bison charged and trampled over the top of a car in the Delta Junction area.
The car was seriously damaged, but the driver reportedly was OK. Neither he nor the person who recorded the video could be reached for comment.
An Alaska State Trooper spokesperson says the agency hasn’t gotten any reports of bison-related wrecks. But Clint Cooper, with the state Department of Fish and Game, said he’s gotten at least two reports of run-ins between the animals and vehicles, one of which killed a bison. Read More HERE
Did You Know...
- A Virtual View Of The Fermilab Bison Herd Through New Bison Cam. More HERE
- Yellowstone National Park holds meetings on bison plan update. More HERE
- Farmers are better able to cope with dry times, say veteran producers. More HERE
