Committee advances bill to include domestic bison in livestock-loss compensation

Representative Eric Tillman, the bill sponsor, told the House Agriculture Committee that House Bill 504 would expand the Livestock Loss Mitigation Program to cover domestic bison and set bison valuation at the same rate used for commercial cattle.

"This is just expand, expanding the livestock laws, adding domestic life, domestic bison," Representative Eric Tillman said as he opened the hearing. Tillman said the fiscal note showed no outright cost because of program reserves and that claims data over the past five years recorded about three bison losses to wolves or grizzly bears.

The bill drew testimony from bison producers and farm groups. Tye Stubblefield, representing the Montana Bison Association, described a family operation and predator encounters on his ranch: "Our ranch lies between those two key pieces of ground, which is a natural corridor for predators such as grizzly bears, wolves, and other wildlife." He said his operation paid into per-capita fees and urged equal treatment for bison.

Karli Johnson of the Montana Farm Bureau Federation said the federation supports compensating bison on a per-capita basis and that adding bison would make the livestock-loss program more equitable for producers who pay into it.

Melinda Anakalea, a rancher who converted to bison, said bison producers "do pay into the per capita system at a significant rate" and that including bison would help ranchers who market direct-to-consumer meat recover from predator losses.

Brian Simonson, deputy executive officer for the Department of Livestock and interim administrator for the Livestock Loss Board, explained the claims process and eligibility requirements. He said wildlife services first investigates and documents probable or confirmed kills; after that paperwork is filed, the department checks that claimants have paid required per-capita fees. "In the statute, it requires that you have to be a per capita fee payer," Simonson said.

Committee members asked about the number of bison producers and how values would be set. Stubblefield said the Montana Bison Association has about 50 member ranches and estimated perhaps another 50 producers are not association members. On valuation he said market reports for bison are volatile; the fiscal note ties a per-claim figure to a multiplier used for commercial cattle, and Tillman noted that the fiscal calculation would result in about $1,800 per claim under the bill's chosen valuation.

After the hearing the committee took executive action and moved the bill forward. In committee business later the House Agriculture panel recorded the bill as passed in committee.

Why this matters: The Livestock Loss Mitigation Program reimburses producers for animals killed or confirmed lost to predators. Supporters said bison producers currently pay per-capita fees but are not eligible for compensation under existing lists of species; the bill would add domestic bison to the eligible list and align their per-claim valuation with the bill language.

Next steps: The bill passed the House Agriculture Committee in executive action and will advance to subsequent legislative steps.