Dr. Yuri Montanholi, research scientist and instructor at Lakeland College in Alberta and Bioenterprise Advisor discusses sustainability, innovative technology, and future expansion of the emerging Canadian bison industry
By Tabitha Caswell for Bioenterprise
Fulfilling the dual role of both educator and innovator, Dr. Yuri Montanholi is a pioneer in Canadian animal agriculture. His current scope of work is centred around the study of bison, an emblem of resilience and sacred North American Indigenous history. In the quiet wilderness of the prairie, he becomes a partner in the dance of ecological harmony and heritage preservation, where he aims to foster a symbiosis between advanced agricultural technology and the storied legacy of these majestic creatures.
Touted for its health and sustainability benefits, the burgeoning bison industry requires ongoing scientific research to further develop and maintain its environmental advantages. As an instructor and research scientist at Lakeland College in Vermillion, Alberta, and a trusted member of the Science and Innovation Advisory Committee (SIAC) at Bioenterprise Canada, Dr. Montanholi gives us an inside perspective on where the Canadian bison industry is currently positioned and where it’s likely headed.
Nomadic Journey
From Brazil to Canada, Dr. Yuri Montanholi’s passion for working with animals is as rich and diverse as the many places he’s called home along the way. His childhood fascination with agriculture began during weekends spent on his grandparents’ farms outside his small hometown in Brazil. With a mathematician father and a social worker mother, he was raised on a diet of numbers and social consciousness, and surrounded by animals that, combined, would become the pillars of his future career.
Dr. Montanholi’s godfather, a veterinarian, further inspired him, guiding him toward vet school. However, as he neared the end of his studies, he realized his heart belonged to larger animals. This revelation steered him towards the study of beef cattle management, earning his master’s degree that set the stage for an adventurous academic and professional journey. Seeking to merge the worlds of genetics and nutrition, Dr. Montanholi pursued his PhD at the University of Guelph under the supervision of animal geneticist, Dr. Steve Miller, and nutritionist Dr. Kendall Swanson, an opportunity that honed his unique skills in animal production.
Post-PhD life was a whirlwind of research and academia for Dr. Montanholi. He spent an additional five years in Guelph, completing his post-doc and serving in a research associate position. He then ventured to Nova Scotia’s Dalhousie University where he spent four years as a research chair and assistant professor. His quest for knowledge then took him across the Atlantic to England’s Harper Adams University, where he worked closely with Europe’s largest beef and sheep packer, ABP Food Group.
Next, Dr. Montanholi thoroughly enjoyed his time as an invited researcher in Uruguay, the place he calls “little Switzerland,” highly organized, picturesque, and known for its fine chocolate desserts. From there, he relocated to North Dakota, tasked with leading the state’s cattle extension, then transitioned to a short-term but impactful position with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eventually, the call to reunite with his canine and human family members brought him back to Canada, where he embraced a new opportunity at Lakeland College, dedicating his time equally to research, outreach, and education. Dr. Montanholi’s journey is marked by a nomadic spirit and an unwavering dedication to advancing animal agriculture with a compassionate and innovative approach. Each stop on his journey has not only broadened his expertise but also his perspective on the global animal agriculture landscape.
Today, declaring his love for these “fluffy cows,” Dr. Montanholi’s focus is on bison, where his enduring commitment to animal welfare and sustainability is reflected in the innovative non-invasive data collection methods he and his team are developing. At the core of his extension work is the unique environment at Lakeland College, which boasts the only bison herd for academic study and student practice in Canada, providing an unparalleled opportunity for applied research and training in this field.
The Allure of Bison
Bison are a sacred symbol of North American heritage, offering a cultural and culinary link to the traditions and reverence of Indigenous peoples. The animals are robust and resilient, with evidence of their presence on the continent dating back thousands of years. Once near extinction, these adaptable creatures have written an inspiring comeback story. Strategic protection and management practices and the support of livestock producers have led to an increase in the bison population, turning a page to the next chapter in their evolution as part of our managed, modern food system.
While bison is noted for being a healthy protein choice, with lower fat and calorie content, its appeal transcends its nutritional benefits. With contemporary values around environmental stewardship and ethical animal husbandry, bison has come to also represent a novel choice for many consumers looking to make responsible, informed decisions about the source of their diets.
Bison’s Carbon Footprint
Within the context of animal agriculture, the bison industry appears attractive, residing at an interesting intersection of tradition and modern environmentalism. The noble bison, with its wild appeal and historical significance, has become a symbol of sustainability in a time when concerns over greenhouse gases and global warming dominate the discourse.
Dr. Montanholi is at the forefront of this conversation, not just following the trend but critically examining it. He’s asking a pivotal question: how can we substantiate the case of bison’s green credentials with hard data?
To answer this question, we must first understand that while animal agriculture encompasses a robust and integral component of our food system, the bison sector is a relatively minor element, still in its early days and awaiting further development. “There are millions of beef and dairy cattle in Canada, but roughly only 120,000 bison spread between 1000 farms and ranches. And cattle have been studied extensively, so we have more data available to determine the carbon footprint of cattle. But with bison, it’s a relatively blank page, with few studies related to greenhouse gasses in this species. The challenge is that within the bison industry, there is a shortage of quantifiable data to determine their carbon footprint,” Dr. Montanholi says.
This is where Dr. Montanholi’s work becomes significant. He and his highly knowledgeable team, trained at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), are conducting life cycle assessments, breaking down the carbon footprint of the bison industry piece by piece – from the cow-calf stage to the consumer’s plate.
Dr. Montanholi’s granular approach engages stakeholders across the spectrum to build a comprehensive model. Beyond the desk, he and his associates work in the field, studying grazing methods to better use and protect the rangelands, and collecting data from packers to better understand the carcass quality attributes of the bison. Through a collaboration with Dr. Leluo Guan from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Dr. Helga Sauerwein at the University of Bonn, Germany, Dr. Montanholi and his team are also studying bison blood and rumen microbiome to learn more about their metabolism and its effects on methane production – integral work on a topic still largely uncharted compared to its bovine counterparts.
Dr. Montanholi affirms that his mission is to inform and support the continuous improvement of the bison industry. “We need to carefully present the facts and demonstrate the benefits of this process,” he says. For him, it isn’t about proving a point; it’s about guiding an emerging industry toward a greener future of proven advantages.
His efforts to quantify and validate sustainability claims are crucial in an era where consumers are increasingly conscientious about the ecological footprints of their diets. It’s a story not just of numbers and data but of responsible stewardship and the potential for a harmonious coexistence between our food systems, animals, and the land.
Preparing for Growth
As the bison industry gradually carves its niche in the consumer market, a looming question arises: can the expansion of bison farming practices maintain balance within the natural ecosystem? As bison become more popular, their management becomes crucial. Unlike traditional beef cattle, bison have evolved while living fenceless, wandering far in their migration patterns, from Manitoba to the Rocky Mountains and beyond. To learn more about the best practices for grazing, Dr. Montanholi’s team is advancing its studies about the use of the prairies by the bison through funding provided by Alberta Innovates and also through the Government of Alberta’s Rangeland Sustainability Program, among several collaborators from the Canadian bison industry.
“We’re studying the effects of their grazing patterns, assessing what happens with rotational grazing. And we’re studying the biodiversity of the rangelands. We can analyze the insect populations, for example, to measure and understand the impact of grazing pressure on the whole prairie ecosystem. Through our research and extension work, we’re developing partnerships with Indigenous communities and producers, and we consider all the different philosophies around the conservation of the animals and the land,” Dr. Montanholi says.
As the team studies the herd, they aim for very little human interaction, given the undomesticated nature of the bison. Bison, as a species, lose their productive performance when physically handled, so studying them and treating potential problems can be challenging. This is where Dr. Montanholi’s new technology comes into the equation.
Bison Sense
Bison are large, powerful animals that can be skittish and aggressive at times. To address the need for a “hands-off” approach to animal management, Dr. Yuri Montanholi is leading the development of a revolutionary system, essential for the well-being and productivity of bison. The ethos behind this strategy is simple yet profound: the least amount of human contact, the better these animals perform. This is not about leveraging technology for its novelty but rather about minimizing stress-induced setbacks in bison production by reducing human-animal contact and risks of injury for both the bison and their handlers.
With support from Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), Dr. Montanholi has developed a fully automated, self-powered system that gathers a wealth of data without ever touching the animals. He says, “I call it Bison Sense. It enables a series of non-contact and non-restraint measures on the bison according to the interests of the industry. The system is powered by a wind turbine and solar panels, and the data we collect from it is transferred to a cloud space using cellphone, or long-term evolution (LTE), connectivity. Later, the data is transformed into practical information that we can share with other collaborators on the project.”
The system is a leap towards sustainable and ethical animal management, a stark contrast to traditional methods. As bison move naturally between food and water sources, they cross an integrated walkover weigh scale which records their weight. Thermal cameras capture their heat signature, offering data on their metabolism, while visual cameras add another layer of identification beyond traditional tagging methods. Additionally, a weather station mounted in the unit continuously records over thirty parameters, which serves to study the relationships between weather and the behaviour and performance of the bison.
While this approach has been fit to purpose in some situations, with earlier advancements made by Dr. Jayson Galbraith from Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Dr. Montanholi is applying cutting-edge technology to enable a fully remote system to convert data into practical information for producers. He says, “Prior to this, former systems were designed to capture only body weight, and the producers would then need to offload the data from the unit. We are now working on the next level of technification of such assessments and beyond.”
By using this remote sensor tech to assess and collect data, and transforming this data into actionable insights, the system is a modern solution aligned with the industry’s needs. Moreover, this technology extends beyond body weight measurement and thermal imaging assessments. It’s part of a larger vision to establish breeding programs for bison. As Dr. Montanholi points out, there is a dire need for genetic performance assessment and improvement in bison – a frontier yet to be fully explored.
Paired with drone technology, the implications of this new system are vast. Not only does it provide a more humane way to monitor and enhance bison welfare and productivity, but it also has the potential to be adapted for use with other livestock species. It’s a testament to the transformative power of technology when applied with empathy and foresight – a solution for the present that also paves the way for the future of animal agriculture.
As they explore new ways to study the strengths and weaknesses of integrating bison into our food systems, Dr. Montanholi’s team at Lakeland College also closely monitors the evolving road to retail.
Commercializing Bison
Bison meat, considered more of a delicacy than a staple, is rarely found in grocery stores and instead often featured in restaurants. Further, the industry is largely export-driven. Dr. Montanholi says, “Most of the bison produced in Canada is shipped to the United States where there is a huge market for bison meat.”
Why doesn’t this Canadian resource stay home? He explains that this export trend is influenced by favourable exchange rates and trade logistics. Consequently, the Canadian bison that ends up on dinner plates is mostly savoured in the US. But, Dr. Montanholi says, this leaves much room to grow. Alongside his research, it’s clear that the retail space for bison, on both sides of the border, may soon be expanding, but its growth will rely on a vast network of partners to be successful.
Sharing Knowledge
Beyond research, Dr. Montanholi is deeply committed to collaboration through his extension work and mentorship. His dedication to agricultural extension work bridges the gap between theoretical and applied research, bringing his expertise straight to practical farming.
By employing innovations like remote sensor technology associated with artificial intelligence, Dr. Montanholi aims to unlock the potential within this data, offering a resource that’s both accessible and valuable to the farming community. He underscores the significance of translating vast amounts of collected data into actionable insights for farmers, who often lack the time and resources to conduct these complex tasks.
Dr. Montanholi and his team also access data made available from packers to develop studies on carcass quality as well as data collected by producers on the performance of their animals. He says, “We’re compiling this data and applying advanced statistical methods to generate practical information to support the decisions made by the producers.”
Through his extension research, he takes pride in relationships made through the full circle of bison management. “I’ve managed to engage all different levels of collaborators and experts in the industry, from producers to packers, to retailers and restaurants. They’re all providing me with important information and we’re all working together to build this model. It’s been very successful so far, and I’ve really enjoyed this journey,” says Dr. Montanholi.
He also prioritizes the future of the bison industry through mentorship. Influenced by his own mentors, he recognizes the importance of nurturing the next generation of agricultural leaders, especially in this emerging bison industry. Teaching in the Bachelor Program in the Agricultural Sciences at Lakeland College, Dr. Montanholi trains students in bison husbandry. His students not only have opportunities to attend and present at animal science conferences, but Dr. Montanholi also graciously shares time on stage with them during his own presentations.
“We are together on this mission of supporting the industry, so we all share our experiences and information jointly,” he says. His method has proven successful, with some of his students placing ahead of peers with more advanced degrees during international competitions. He adds, “There is nothing more rewarding than seeing your pupils shining and building a great story, following the tracks of the ‘fluffy cows.’” For Dr. Montanholi, mentorship is more than a role – it’s a mission to provide the necessary support and direction for students who are the future stewards of agricultural innovation and sustainability.
As he nurtures the future of the bison industry in Canada, Dr. Yuri Montanholi also respectfully nurtures the profound and primal connection between humans, animals, and the land. His expertise and reverence for these wise, majestic creatures is an embodiment of their resilient, yet gentle spirit – a spirit that will lead us toward a more secure and sustainable future.
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