SaskBISONews Newsletter of the Saskatchewan Bison Association

Transcription

1 SaskBISONews Newsletter of the Saskatchewan Bison Association PO Box Regina, SK S4S 7H6 Website: (306) Fax: (306) December 1999 SBA ELECTION One new face is among Directors elected at the SBA s Annual General Meeting on December 10 in North Battleford. Don Zurakowski, of Riverwild Buffalo Adventure in Prince Albert was one of those elected to fill vacancies on the Board, created with the expiry of the terms of three Directors. George Ritchie of Double R Bison Ranch at Big River and Brent McKen of Majestic Bison Ranch at Yorkton were reelected. Terms of office for the three Directors are effective January 1, At the conclusion of the AGM, outgoing Director Terrie Ireland of Flying I Bison Ranch at Carievale was thanked on behalf of the Association for her two years of service to SBA. ( A complete listing for the 2000 Board of Directors is included with this newsletter. Please save it for future reference.) WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO? Business of the Annual General Meeting was conducted with the bare minimum number of members required under SBA Bylaws in attendance. That raised the question of whether the timing and the location of the meeting were to blame for the poor turnout. The bylaws call for a quorum of 10% of the voting members to be present in order for business to be conducted. As our membership grows, simple mathematics show that in future years the number that we ll need to meet that requirement will grow as well. Therefore, we need to know what you think about the scheduling of the Annual General Meeting to ensure the most members possible can and will attend. Please fill out the attached survey form and get it back to the SBA office by FAX or by mail. You can also let us know via e- mail what you think. QUESTIONS ABOUT SECOND NABC PLANT SBA s Open Directors meeting, as part of the AGM, featured questions about the commitment North American Bison Cooperative has made to building a second slaughter and processing plant in Saskatchewan. Among the main points covered in the session was whether the estimated 2004 start-up date was carved in stone. According to NABC s Canadian Director Dave Giesbrecht, from Manitoba, who attended the meeting, that is the conservative, stretched, outside date for the plant to be operational. He said NABC has made the commitment to build at North Battleford; he s confident that decision will be followed through by the Coop; and NABC is actively exploring the various options for financing the construction and start-up costs for the plant. Giesbrecht emphasized that the process of expansion of the Coop is tied very firmly to the performance of NABC s marketing arm, North American Provisioner. He said it will take several more months for the NABC Board to be comfortable that the current trend line of monthly increases in orders for product is strong enough to proceed with expansion. Further to that, he said Saskatchewan producers have to step up and make their commitment to deliver slaughter animals to a new plant, through the purchase of Coop shares. He agreed with SBA members and the SBA Board that it s difficult to make the decision to finance shares over a fiveyear term, when there may be no opportunity to see a return on that investment for four years, when the plant is operational. But, he stressed the decision to do so is an individual business decision.giesbrecht also said that discussions are being held with a First Nations organization in Saskatchewan about a possible partnership between it and NABC regarding the new plant.

2 AN OPEN LETTER TO SASKATCHEWAN PRODUCERS The Saskatchewan Bison Association offered North American Bison Cooperative the opportunity to update producers on its plans. The following letter was received in response to that offer. Dear Fellow SBA Members: We thought you might be anxious to have an update on NABC s sale of equity shares and our plans for our next plant in North Battleford. Unfortunately, as many of you know, there has been a legislative change in the securities law which makes it necessary for us to register in Canada separate from our normal registration procedure in North Dakota. This has caused some delay in selling our shares in Canada, however, our attorney is actively working with the appropriate authorities providing whatever information is required. We believe we will have the necessary approvals within 1-2 months. Meanwhile, our shares sales and future plans are progressing. Our new marketing organization is making strides daily with new customers and new prospective customers trying our product. The timing on building the next plant will depend upon how fast our meat market expands and how fast the shares are purchased. I regret that Sue and I were unable to attend the CBA conference this year due to a health problem in our family. I always enjoy seeing many of you in Regina, and I believe this is the first Agribition we have missed since becoming involved in the bison industry. I understand it was an outstanding event. Let me take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for Sincerely, Dennis Sexhus, CEO North American Bison Cooperative WHO S BUYING? We ve tracked some interesting trends in a couple of the larger bison sales in Saskatchewan this fall. They show the strength of the industry in this province, and further underline the strong position of the province s producers. At the 7th Annual National Sale in Regina, November 23 a total of 98 females (including pens of 3) were on offer. 61 of those animals, or 62% were bought by Saskatchewan producers. 68% of the bred heifers were sold into Saskatchewan herds. And at the SBA s annual production sale, December 11 at Kramer s Big Bid Barn at North Battleford, an incredible 98% of all females moving through the sale ring went to Saskatchewan buyers. These trends would seem to indicate continuing long-term confidence Saskatchewan producers have in their industry. Page 2

3 CHECK OFF SURVEY RESULTS We asked you, in our last newsletter, as a Saskatchewan Bison Association member to complete and return a three-question survey form to feed back your thoughts on a national check off program. The Board had earlier adopted a resolution advocating a position to the Association membership supportive of a national bison check off program, administered by the Canadian Bison Association, the proceeds from which would be used for the generic marketing of bison and promotion of the Canadian bison industry. 15% of you returned your completed forms. On the first question: Do you agree with the position advocated by the SBA Board of Directors on a National Bison Check Off Program? those who responded unanimously agreed with the Directors position. 85% of you indicated support for a levy of $5.00 per newborn calf as an acceptable cost for such a program. Of the remaining 15%, proposed levies ranged from a low of $2.00 per calf, to a high of $10.00 per calf or more. The survey results were reported to the Board of Directors of the Canadian Bison Association by Ray Blais, SBA s representative on the CBA Board. CBA Directors, at their November meeting, adopted a national check off program, which will be voluntary and refundable. Producers will pay $4 per newborn calf, through a new ear tag. More specifics about the program will be revealed over the next few months. SBA s IBC 2000 CALF Saskatchewan Bison Association is donating a Year 2000 heifer calf to BISON ARE BACK 2000, the International Bison Conference scheduled for Edmonton August 1-4, The SBA Board is now looking for advice from Association members as to how to acquire this calf. We are also aware that many Saskatchewan producers and their companies have also committed to donate a calf to the event. The IBC 2000 Conference is expected to attract as many as 2000 delegates from Canada, the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia and New Zealand. With that kind of audience, the SBA s and its members sponsorships will provide great exposure for the Saskatchewan industry. Are you (either alone or as part of a group) interested in partnering with the Association to fulfil SBA s sponsorship? We re open to any suggestion, whether it s an outright purchase of one of your calves, which would then become SBA s donation to IBC 2000, or your contribution of a calf to the Association with your cost offset by SBA s in-kind recognition through the coming year. One of our goals, of course, is to minimize SBA s cash outlay for this calf. SBA s partner in this venture will also receive an IBC 2000 melton and leather jacket, with the Saskatchewan Bison Association designation on it. If you have an idea how this could work for your and SBA s benefit, let s talk about it. Call Doug Griller ( ) or Leon Brin ( ). TO ADVERTISE IN FUTURE EDITIONS OF SaskBISONews CONTACT LEON BRIN AT THE SBA OFFICE Page 3

4 SBA WELCOMES BERLINIC SPONSORSHIP Berlinic Manufacturing of Quill Lake has become Saskatchewan Bison Association s first Major Sponsor. In return for Berlinic s contribution of $6000 to SBA, the company will be recognized as a partner in all of the Association s activities from now through the year The company s owner, Zane Berlinic recognized two years ago producers need for a Saskatchewan-built chute and squeeze that would ensure reliability, durability and safety for bison and the people handling them. Since then, Berlinic has manufactured and put into service more than six dozen handling facilities, both permanent and portable. The name Berlinic has become synonymous with bison handling equipment throughout Western Canada and the United States. The company s equipment is famous for the high quality of its basic unit and the various components that can be added to it. Saskatchewan Bison Association is proud to welcome Berlinic Manufacturing as a Major Sponsor, and appreciates Berlinic s commitment to the ongoing work of SBA representing and promoting the Saskatchewan bison industry. DELEGATES EAT WELL Delegates to the Canadian Farm Women s Network conference in Saskatoon enjoyed roast bison at their main banquet on Saturday, November 27. Hundreds of rural women from throughout Canada attended the Vision 2020: Seeing Our Future conference, which formulated CFWN s action plans toward valuing farm women s work and providing support to farm women. Saskatchewan Bison Association took a Gold Sponsorship position with the Conference. Part of that sponsorship involved supplying the meat for the Saskatchewan Night Banquet at which Dwain Lingenfelter, Minister for Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food was the Guest Speaker. SBA President Doug Griller represented the Association at the event. HACCP UPDATE (Submitted by Brent McKen - SBA Director) The purpose of this article is to be both informative and persuasive about what HACCP is and why it could be a critical influence for the bison industry. WHAT IS HACCP? Pronounced HA-sip, it is an acronym for an approach to food safety called Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point. Developed by the Pillsbury Company in the 1960s to comply with NASA s requirements for manned space flights, HACCP is a preventative approach. HACCP programs control and monitor food safety by identifying the hazards, assessing the risks and implementing corrective measures. They use Critical Control Points and evaluation and record keeping procedures to ensure that food-borne hazards are reduced or eliminated. Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about the safety of the food that they are eating. Soon, the U.S., Japan and the European countries will require us to use the HACCP system to make our food products eligible for export to their markets. WHY DO WE NEED HACCP? First, to ensure consumers that bison is a safe product to eat. That s good marketing! We have the opportunity to be progressive and implement this program before consumers demand it. Remember Paul Martin s concern, delivered at the CBA convention last month, that Canadians have a history of being excellent producers but very poor marketers? Let s be the commodity group to change history! Canadians have sold themselves short for bear of bragging. If we implement and participate in the on-farm HACCP program we will be forerunners in On Farm Food Safety. That s something to brag about. continued next page Page 4

5 continued from page 4 The second reason we need HACCP is to give legal protection for producers. Because today s technology is advancing to a point where a food product at the consumer level will be able to be tracked back to the farm of origin, liability becomes a very important issue. For example, if a consumer found a broken needle in a roast he or she would go back to the store that sold that roast. The store would go back to the processor that supplied the roast and, usually, that s where the trace-back would stop. To go back further to the farm of origin was usually impossible. Soon, animal identification tracking systems will allow for a trace back to the farm of origin or feedlot, etc. This will include all commodity groups, including bison. Therefore, as a producer, your legal liability will soon become an issue. In the example I ve used, if you were not responsible for the broken needle in the meat you would be able to prove it by being on a HACCP program. It s referred to as being able to show due diligence. ( The animal came from here, but the broken needle must have occurred after it left here to go to the next level of finishing. ) Therefore, by participating in the Canadian Bison On Farm Food Safety Program you will be protecting yourself and your farm from the risks of a food safety issue. WHERE ARE WE WITH HACCP? The Canadian Bison Association s HACCP Committee aims to have its program in place over the next 6 to 12 months. We still need to finalize details, however, our goal is to keep it a voluntary program and to make it as user-friendly as possible. We ve completed the Good Production Practice Manual to help farmers with the production of bison. It s based on common sense and includes a lot of methods they are already using on their farms. The HACCP program will require accurate records so auditors can be sure the rules are being followed. There will be 3 or 4 critical control points (examples are broken needles, drug residues and heavy metal contamination) that will be monitored. We are hoping to start up to 4 pilot projects in each province this winter to find any problem areas with the program before it s finalized. It you want to participate in the pilot project we would welcome your involvement. Please contact me at (306) or the SBA office if you re interested. Let s remember that competition developing new markets is good, but cooperation is better. Your support is appreciated and your ideas and input are welcome. SBA REPRESENTED AT FARGO MEETING Saskatchewan Bison Association was one of a number of producer groups asked by Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food to participate in the first Northern Plains Producer Conference in Fargo, North Dakota. Executive Director Leon Brin represented SBA during the day and a half of discussions. The Conference brought together more than 200 specialized livestock, cattle, grains and other agricultural producers from Saskatchewan, Manitoba, North and South Dakota and Minnesota. Also on hand were politicians and civil servants responsible for agriculture and food production in those jurisdictions. The goal was to have producers discuss the current state of agriculture and to generate ideas to forge the future of world agriculture by identifying trade issues and opportunities; developing mutual understanding of industries on both sides of the border; establishing a regional producer network to come up with solutions; continued on next page Page 5

6 ...continued and to dispel agricultural trade misconceptions. Producers joined sessions on the first day specific to their areas of concern, to define both issues or concerns and opportunities for their area. They were also asked to establish recommendations to address the issues and to capitalize on the opportunities. SBA was joined as an industry representative by spokesmen for bison producers in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota. They became a part of the discussions on Other Livestock. The main points raised by the bison industry representatives in both the issues and opportunities areas centred on the need for: harmonization of health regulations on both sides of the border, to facilitate trade and speed border crossings; possible creation of a regional market development area, incorporating American and Canadian producers; encouragement of easier trade in breeding stock for genetic enhancement; easing of regulatory procedures to accommodate establishment of new generation cooperatives; incorporating Canadian and American members; government support to enable producer driven market development. Most of those points were incorporated into the larger group s final report to the conference. Politicians in attendance, including Saskatchewan s Minister of Agriculture and Food, Dwain Lingenfelter, pledged to carry the concerns forward to their respective governments, and to forward those issues which fall under federal jurisdiction to the national governments in Ottawa and Washington, DC. CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS FOR SALE: Bison Resource Manual for Food Service. Call SBA Office to get your copy (306) $26.75 (incl. GST) + $3.75 postage & handling. APPLICATIONS: are still being accepted for registration into the Agribusiness Management Development Program January-March 2000 in Saskatoon. Designed for agribusiness leaders who plan long-term for their ventures to succeed and profit. For more information call Tom Allen ( , Connie Lambert (306) or Ann Cooney (306) FOR SALE: Bison Breeder Handbooks. $20 plus GST. Contact the CBA Office for details. (306) RECORD OF MOVEMENT BOOKS are available from the SBA Office. Call Leon at (306) to order yours. $10.70 (incl. GST) + $2 postage & handling. DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO ADVERTISE? TO BOOK SPACE IN SaskBISONews CALL LEON (306) Page 6

7 Coming Saskatchewan Events DECEMBER Open Consignment Sale Heartland, Regina 18 Pre-Sort Feeder Sale Hall Auctions, Wawota 29 Premium Breeder Sale Hall Auctions, Wawota JANUARY 2000 Gold Buckle Bison Female Saskatoon Auction Mart Show & Sale 8 Production Sale Hall Auctions, Wawota 10 Bison Auction Sale Kramer s, North Battleford 22 NBA Gold Trophy Show & Sale Denver, CO 31 Bison Auction Sale Kramer s, North Battleford FEBRUARY 5&6 Gold Brick Female Show & Sale Hall Auctions, Wawota 14 Bison Auction Sale Kramer s, North Battleford 19 Production Sale Hall Auctions, Wawota MidWinter Consignment Sale Saskatoon Auction Mart 28 Wood Bison Auction (tentative) Kramer s, North Battleford MARCH 11 Bison Sale Hall Auctions, Wawota 13 Bison Auction Sale Kramer s, North Battleford *SBA Premium Stock Bull & Heartland, Regina Female Show & Sale *IF YOU RE COMING TO THE PREMIUM SHOW & SALE, OUR OFFICIAL HOTEL IS THE LANDMARK INN ( ). THE LANDMARK IS OFFERING A RATE OF $49.95 PER NIGHT, SINGLE OR DOUBLE. APRIL 3 Breeding Bull & Open Heifer Sale Kramer s, North Battleford 8&9 4th Annual Bull Show & Sale Hall Auctions, Wawota 23 Yearling Female Sale Hall Auctions, Wawota 28/29 NABC Annual Meeting Bismarck, North Dakota DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY TO SBA OR ITS MEMBERS? CONTACT US VIA MAIL, FAX OR . YOUR OPINION MATTERS TO US. Page 7

8 BERLINIC MANUFACTURING IS A MAJOR SPONSOR OF THE SASKATCHEWAN BISON ASSOCIATION For all your bison handling facility needs call Zane:(306) BERLINIC MANUFACTURING BOX 151 QUILL LAKE, SK S0A 3E0 SASKATCHEWAN PRODUCERS SHINE Jack and Marie Evans of Clair Side Bison were the winners of the prestigious Premier Breeder Trophy for The award was presented to the Clair, Saskatchewan producers at the CBA s Awards Banquet in Regina, November 22 as part of the annual convention, show and sale. Congratulations, Jack and Marie. And thanks for proving once again that Saskatchewan bison are the best there is! SBA SUMMER FIELD DAY 2000 Mark your calendars now! SBA s Summer Field Day will be held June 23 to 25 in Weyburn. Although planning is in the very early stages Local Committee Chairman Bernie Kot is now assembling an enthusiastic and hard-working crew to make sure Field Day 2000 has something for everyone in the way of information and entertainment. If you re willing to pitch in and help with this event give Bernie a call at (306) or let Leon know at the SBA office at (306) By the way, the date has been moved to June from the usual July time frame to give members a little more flexibility to get their work done before taking in IBC 2000 in August. And, we hope to attract some people who would be making a trip to Regina for the Western Canada Farm Progress Show earlier in the week. DID YOU KNOW? The average Saskatchewan bison producer has a herd of 55 animals. The estimated on-farm investment by Saskatchewan bison producers (assuming land and machinery was not previously owned) is $62.5 million. The average Saskatchewan bison producer has an investment in his or her herd of $696- thousand. The Saskatchewan bison herd has a higher percentage of breeding females than in any other jurisdiction in Canada. The rate of membership growth of the Saskatchewan Bison Association ( +40% in the past 16 months) is higher than in any other regional association. The Saskatchewan Bison Association funds and/or supports ongoing research projects and marketing initiatives with a total value of $1.65 million. Do you want to express your opinion on an industry issue? SASKBISONEWS is a good place to do it. Send your submission for inclusion in a future edition. Page 8

9 RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP TODAY! Included with this newsletter is your Saskatchewan Bison Association membership renewal form. Please complete it and send it to the SBA office with a cheque for your fees for the year 2000 as soon as possible. We want to make sure you stay on the mailing list and don t miss anything either SBA or CBA is sending out, including the first Smoke Signals of the year in February. CONTRARY TO WHAT YOU MAY HAVE READ IN SMOKE SIGNALS you will see on the form that the annual membership fee has increased to $150 (plus GST of $10.50) for a total of $ per year. Why? The Canadian Bison Association has raised the membership fee that we collect for the CBA from each of our members, from $50 to $75. SBA has passed on that increase to its members and has matched the CBA increase to help cover our operating costs. The Board of Directors did not take the decision to raise fees lightly. However, Directors felt that an annual fee of $150 represents good value for bison producers. What do you get for that fee? As an SBA member you benefit from: Centralized representation of the Saskatchewan bison industry from the Regina office Scientific and marketing research projects funded by SBA and CBA Automatic membership in the Canadian Bison Association Eligibility to join the National Bison Association Eligibility for entry to CBA- and SBA-sanctioned events Inclusion of your and your ranch name on the SBA web-site with links to your site and your Up to date producer information from Saskatchewan and other parts of North America through subscriptions to both Smoke Signals and SASKBISONEWS Access to rental of SBA s portable bison handling facility. Ongoing education and information sessions for bison producers at the annual Summer Field Day THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF SASKATCHEWAN BISON ASSOCIATION WISHES YOU AND YOURS A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND BEST WISHES FOR A PROSPEROUS 2000 Page 9

10 Saskatchewan Bison Association Board Members 2000 Doug Griller, President Box 418 Quill Lake, SK S0A 3E Fax: George Ritchie Box 315 Big River, SK S0J 0E Fax: Trent Schwitzer Box 226 Melville, SK S0A 2P Brent McKen Box 276 Yorkton,SK S3N 2V Fax: Don Scott Box 311 Nipawin, SK S0E 1E Fax: Ray Blais Box 657 Battleford, SK S0M 0E Fax: Jim Quick 330, RR #4 Saskatoon, SK S7K 3J Fax: Brian Wojciechowski Box 24 Foxford, SK S0J 0Y Donald Zurakowski th Street Prince Albert, SK S6V 4S Do you have ideas for future editions of SaskBISONews? Contact Leon Brin at the SBA office to discuss them.