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Bison have potential

I read the Salina Journal article "Economist tells cattlemen it will be tough in 2010." The article noted that the nationwide beef herd is the smallest since 1963, but individual steer carcass weights have gone up considerably since then.

I recently read another news item stating that Ted Turner got an OK for removing some Yellowstone bison to his ranch. It noted that Turner already has 50,000 bison on his sprawling ranch and now wants 74 more bison with the pure Yellowstone genetics to add to his collection. It acknowledged that Turner would hold them for the five-year quarantine period to make sure they were free from the disease Brucellosis. But Turner's terms were beyond shrewd; they were outrageous: Turner demands 90 percent of the offspring.

I believe that Yellowstone bison should be relocated throughout the vast Great Plains, including Kansas. Cattlemen should be given incentives for building fences to keep cattle and bison separated. My feeling is that expanded bison-raising will help cattlemen survive in the tough economic times ahead.

-- JAMES MARPLES, Esbon, property manager

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