Several agriculture-related industries, including bison producers, asked and did not received aid from the most recent U.S. economic relief bill. Over the past six weeks, carcass prices for bison have declined rapidly since the coronavirus pandemic hit. National Bison Association Executive Director Dave Carter says there are a lot of ripple effects going through the business right now. “More than 85 percent of the high value cuts are sold in restaurants, whereas the retail channel has primarily been a market for ground bison,” says Carter. “That’s a hard impact on marketers when all of a sudden you’re taking a tenderloin that wholesales for $20 a pound and having the choice to either put it in the freezer or turning in to ground meat at a much cheaper price. Folks finishing bison are also facing challenges, particularly with the ethanol industry and distillers grains.” USDA encourages ineligible producers who’ve suffered a fiver percent or greater price decline from January to April 2020 to submit comments. Eight senators, including those from North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota, have also urged USDA for assistance for bison producers. Listen to the full RRFN story here.