Roaming the Research of Bison Production in South Dakota

Bison production and research is growing across the state of South Dakota. More than six researchers at South Dakota State University alone are researching the species, both on campus in Brookings and at the SDSU Center of Excellence for Bison Studies in Rapid City.

As you drive through the state of South Dakota, you may notice several bison herds roaming the open prairies. These animals are a crucial livestock species to the state.

“Bison punch above their belt when it comes to economic input and return. They have a high return on investment for not just producers but also for agritourism. These things are completely coupled in this state,” said Dr. Jeff Martin, assistant professor for the Department of Natural Resource Management at South Dakota State University.

Not only are they great to look at and provide a positive return on investment, but they are also great livestock for the ecosystem.

“Bison and cattle as we have been learning through research now is that they do not graze the same. They utilize different areas of the landscape, especially when you have hills,” Martin said. “They will also avoid eating forbes, so your flowering plants. That allows for those flowing plants to well, flourish. So, we get this increased what’s called alpha diversity, that very first biodiversity measure of plants. They also don’t graze near as hard, so you don’t have grass taken all the way down to the soil.”

There are many similarities between bison and beef cattle, however there are some differences.

“We have the benefit of a lot of beef research and veterinary training on beef, but the problems are that they aren’t exactly the same species,” Martin said. “So, some of the knowledge that we can gain for veterinary and other animal science is applicable to a point or bare minimum in the scientific realm, serves as a known model for us to test against. So, like ‘this is what we suspect, do they do it?’ Well, more and more times, they don’t do that, they do something slightly different, for example.”


Source: parkrapidsenterprise.com

Photo Credit: istock-alenamozhjer