A Central Alberta bison producer says bison is much higher in iron than other red meats.

Yvonne Mills is an owner of YR Bison Ranch just east of Red Deer where they've grown the operation to five properties and two bison herds.

Mills says bison meat is more expensive than beef, but the health benefits may be worth it.

"My doctor was very surprised that my iron levels never decreased while I was pregnant. A lot of them (bison) are on grass, so it would be higher in omega-3's. It's a litter higher in protein and a lot lower in fat as well."

Mills says the shortage of bison meat in North America is keeping prices strong for producers, adding there's only a few hundred producers in Alberta.

"Bison has been growing for years. Bison was quite high in the 80's, and in the 90's when they shut the borders with BSE and the wasting disease that elk and deer got, it effected the bison industry very badly because the borders got shut. Right now, it (the price) has just been increasing, and it's been staying about the same for the last year."

According to the Bison Producers of Alberta, roughly 50 per cent of the national bison herd is in Alberta.

 

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