The History of Bison Ranching in Alberta

The relationship between people and bison in Alberta is much older than the modern ranching industry. Understanding that history gives important context to the bison farms and ranches operating today.

Bison shaped prairie life

For thousands of years, bison were deeply important to Indigenous peoples of the Plains and supported food, clothing, shelter, tools, trade and cultural life.

Bison populations collapsed

During the nineteenth century, commercial hunting, colonial expansion and other pressures contributed to the catastrophic decline of bison populations across much of their historic range.

Conservation changed the trajectory

Conservation herds and protected populations helped prevent the disappearance of bison and became part of longer-term recovery efforts in Canada and elsewhere in North America.

Commercial ranching developed alongside conservation

Modern bison production created another context in which bison are raised on private farms and ranches for meat and breeding stock. Commercial production and wildlife conservation are not the same activity, although both are part of the modern bison story.

Alberta remains important bison country

The province is home to commercial producers as well as wild and conservation bison populations. Those different herds have different purposes and management systems.