January 18, 2025 (Rapid City, SD) – Two bison-focused organizations are taking another step to strengthen their relationship. The National Bison Association (NBA) and the Center of Excellence (COE) for Bison Studies at South Dakota State University have signed a memorandum of understanding that provides a new home for the NBA.
Beginning in 2025, the NBA office will relocate to Rapid City, South Dakota from Westminster, Colorado. The agreement also provides the potential for additional future office accommodations, should the need arise.
Said NBA Executive Director, Jim Matheson, “This move to the COE is a huge step forward for our association, our membership, and the bison community at large. The NBA helped establish the COE and we’ve since enjoyed a rewarding working relationship collaborating on everything from outreach and education, to bison research, to bison herd health. We appreciate the generosity of South Dakota State University to host our office, and look forward to many more years of collaboration on bison.”
According to Kristi Cammack, COE Director at SDSU, “We’ve enjoyed a productive, collaborative relationship with the NBA since the inception of the COE nearly five years ago. This step demonstrates our joint commitment to continuing to grow our efforts to benefit the bison industry and its stakeholders.”
This announcement builds upon each organization’s goal of better serving the greater bison industry. The two entities recently collaborated to organize and host the highly successful 2024 International Bison Health Symposium and a task force addressing Mycoplasma bovis in bison. They also collaboratively lead an $80 million USDA Climate Smart Agriculture grant along with a number of other research and outreach projects and activities.
About the NBA
The NBA is a non-profit association of producers, processors, marketers and bison enthusiasts. The vision of the NBA is a community bound by the heritage of the American Bison. The mission of the National Bison Association is to bring together stakeholders to celebrate the heritage of American bison, to educate, and to create a sustainable future for our industry. Learn more at bisoncentral.com, or @nationalbison.
About the Center of Excellence in Bison Studies
The Center of Excellence for Bison Studies was formally launched in September 2020 as a partnership between South Dakota State University, the National Bison Association and the National Buffalo Foundation. The COE is headquartered at the SDSU West River Research and Extension center in Rapid City, South Dakota.