RAPID CITY, S.D. — Two bison-focused organizations are taking another step to strengthen their relationship. The National Bison Association and the Center of Excellence 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, S.D., from Westminster, Colo. The agreement also provides the potential for additional future office accommodations, should the need arise.

NBA Executive Director Jim Matheson said, “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.