The problem- There has been a continued increase in the number of producers raising Bison in the Eastern United States; however very little research based information is available to these producers specifically, and much of the knowledge around nutrition is extended from beef cattle research. What research is conducted on Bison is typically from the Central Plains and Western United States where Bison tend to graze on native prairies compared to the smaller acreages and management seen in the Eastern United States. Bison producers in the Eastern United States continue to report complications from mineral deficiencies as observed from testing completed by local and state veterinarians. Thus, the Eastern Bison Association has pushed to increase knowledge to producers around selecting and feeding mineral supplements to their animals. 

The educational program response- I was invited to give a presentation to Bison producers at the Eastern Bison Association Annual Meeting and Sale, covering the basics of selecting mineral supplements and evaluating animals for mineral deficiencies and toxicities. 

The participants/target audience- Participants in this program were Bison producers from across the eastern United States (including multiple producers from Kentucky). 

Other partners (if applicable)

Program impact or participant response. Due to the format of this meeting, a post-program assessment was not utilized. However, this presentation yielded many questions from the Bison producers in the room as they sought to better understand typical beef cattle mineral supplementation practices and how these might be applied in the production of Bison. Additionally, representatives from Bison Industry groups were present in the room and following the presentation, these representatives were able to connect me with a colleague at South Dakota State University's Center of Excellence in Bison Studies. This colleague and I have started to collaborate on a large-scale study to better understand the mineral requirements of domesticated Bison in the Eastern United States which will ultimately help these producers make better management decisions to aide in the overall health, nutrition, efficiency, and sustainability of their Bison. This program is an example of developing needs based applied research based on extension educational programs, which will ultimately be delivered back to producers through extension education.