KOTA Territory NewsBuffalo prices rise for third straight year at Custer auction

Buffalo prices rise for third straight year at Custer auction

Matt Hunter

They came for different reasons, but they all came willing to spend.

"We came looking to buy a buffalo," David Ressler of Custer said.  "We're going to split it with our neighbors and fill the freezer.  The last time we did it, the half of buffalo lasted us two years.

"I was mainly looking for bulls to feed, yearling bulls," rancher Boyd Meyer said.

After a half-decade of declining sales, prices rose for the third straight year at the Annual Custer State Park Buffalo Auction.

"I only ended up with seven of 40," said Meyer, who was hoped to leave with a few more head of buffalo.  "Prices were pretty strong today, higher than a year ago."

While most commodity prices have yet to rebound to pre-recession levels, buffalo prices are being driven up by unprecedented demand for the low-cholesterol alternative to beef and its limited supply.

"I think the meat prices at this point, are bringing more money than they ever have in the past, in the 25 years or so that I've been involved in the industry" auctioneer  Jud Seaman said. 

"Buffalo numbers are basically one percent of what cattle numbers are, so there's just not a lot of product out there," Meyer said.

That's why many ranchers at Saturday's auction came in search of breeding and younger stock, hoping to build up their herd to meet the demand.

"The numbers had been dropping for several years, but now we're starting to see a rebuild on numbers, and that's what we're trying to do at our operation," Meyer said.

As long as consumers continue to buy, the future looks good for a once struggling industry.

"You open up your freezer, there's not a better feeling in the world than when you go home and there's the cut of buffalo you want to cook that night," Ressler said.

With the exception of mature cows, the price for all categories was up or steady from a year ago.  Breeding bulls saw the largest increase, moving up to $1,6 77 a head.