Brian Arnold

Brian Arnold

Meeting demand for bison

As a young kid, Brian Arnold raised some cattle and always thought that someday, he’d like to do that again. He and his wife bought a property north of Toronto in 2015 and got their first bison soon after. Said Arnold, “In my opinion, bison are just about the coolest animal on the planet. They’ve been unchanged for hundreds – maybe even thousands of years. What they look like now is what they looked like back then!” In Canada there are two species, the Plains bison which is smaller in size and with a more rounded hump, and the Wood bison – the larger of the two with a taller, square hump. Arnold raises Plains bison. Arnold said that the demand for bison meat is growing significantly because it’s a very nutrientdense protein. There are currently about 990 bison farmers in Canada with the biggest populations being in Alberta (472 farms) and Saskatchewan (308). The Arnolds sell the meat from their farm store and also to local restaurants. One of their most unique relationships is with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The farm provides bison meat for the team’s meals. They have also hosted many of the players to their farm.