Annual Bison Conference Set for Mid-June

Big Sky, Mont., and its surrounding areas will serve as the dramatic backdrop this June 16-19 for the National Bison Association’s (NBA) annual summer conference, at which Private bison producers, policymakers, conservationists, tribal leaders and buffalo aficionados will gather.

Event attendees will tour Yellowstone National Park and meet with its bison superintendent; visit Ted Turner’s scenic Flying D Ranch south of Bozeman, Mont., to learn about eco-friendly bison management practices; and hold a series of discussions at the Big Sky Resort on a broad variety of issues currently confronting the bison industry. On Sunday, June 19, the Westminster, Colo.-based association, in partnership with the USDA Risk Management Agency, will sponsor a special “Bison 101” seminar for new and expanding buffalo ranchers.

“Montana is central to many issues and events affecting the buffalo business across the country,” explained NBA president John Flocchini, who went on to note that the conference would feature “an extremely diverse group of speakers and topics that touch upon the complex issues in our industry.”

Additionally, Dr. Dave Hunter, chief veterinarian for Turner Enterprises Inc., along with Dr. Steven Olsen of USDA Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa, will provide a presentation at the Big Sky Resort on the current work underway to map the bison genome, and representatives of the Wildlife Conservation Society, the National Park System, and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will discuss conservation challenges for bison, in addition to the public/private collaboration that’s helping to return bison to the American landscape and diet.

Registration for the conference is available on the NBA website, www.bisoncentral.com, with a special “Join 'n Go” rate offered to non-members. The deadline to register is June 1.