So what makes us so good...

[ASRG]

I guess I'm what would be called one of these "commodity types", who somehow managed to survive the ups and downs for most of my life. I did it by trying to always turn a profit....keeping costs as low as possible and trying to get as much as possible out of the "commodity market".
While I can admire all you guys who value added by getting into the niche markets, it wasn't for me. The extra work and skill set needed wasn't worth it.....for me.
Now as I near the end of my cow days I look back on it as being a pretty good life. I think overall I did allright...got the kids raised....got the bills paid.....had a few bucks in my pocket.....never worked myself to death! What more could you ask?

[kato]

The direct marketing involves something that not everyone has, and that's the desire to work directly with the public. I know one cattle producer right now who has absolutely no interest in it, and he's outside doing chores as I type this. Which is why farmer's markets are my specialty, not his. I for one, just love working with the public.

I can see the day coming when we get older and are looking for less physical work, when we would have less cattle and add value to them, but for now, Hubby is perfectly happy with what he does. Besides the cows, we've gotten quite specialized in backgrounding light calves, and they've been good to us. He is very good at what he does, and so far it has kept us in business through some pretty nasty times.

When we get to where the cows is all we want to deal with, then value added will be a more likely option for us. In the meantime, I'll keep on with my own little direct marketing project, and Hubby will happily carry on with what his talents work best for. When the day to add value and maybe direct market beef comes along, the marketing I'm doing now will be a good foundation for it.

[Klause]

We bought for $790/cult acre... just closed the deal this past week.


Cheapest in the area, rest of land that we know sold went for $980 - 1150/acre.

This is Muenster, SK.


Selling the place in MB for around $860/ cult acre.... and that's in the bush, kinda like farming north of La Ronge in SK.

The farmland bubble is alive and well, and will be till a) interest goes up, b) grain prices crash.


We mortgaged that quarter... 15 yrs... payment is $500/month. No wonder everyone is buying, buying, buying!

[parsley]

I have to jump in grassy and kato, you know how
brassy I am, so grit your teeth for this post, will
you. LOL.
I'm an eater and cooker. Canadian beef is often fed barley. And hay. USA Corn fed beef has a
different flavor,and texture and SMELL when
cooked.

I prefer Canadan hands down. And can
differentiate, as you do with your beer! Pars

[per]

Pars just so you know, train load after train load of corn gets fed to cattle in our feedlot sector. So if corn fed tastes inferior then some one should convince our feedlot sector to change their buying patterns.

[grassfarmer]

Another weakness of the commodity system Per and
another reason people are looking to buy direct
from the rancher. How much of the corn-fed,
Alberta raised beef is sold in the States as "AB barley
fed beef"? How much is sold to Japan with the same
tag? how much is eaten in Canada branded as
Alberta barley raised beef? How much US raised,
corn-fed beef is sold in Canada? How much offshore
beef is eaten in Canada and what did it eat?
Not saying there is anything wrong with corn or
barley fed beef - just kind of nice to know what you
are eating.
At least my customers know they are getting
animals raised by me, on my place, fed my grass
and for most that is a piece of mind they don't mind
paying for.

[burnt]

"...that is a piece of mind they don't mind paying for." - the Freudian slip appears here, lol!

[parsley]

Per, lots of eaters buy direct from the farm. We
do. Barley fed. You might want to try peppermint
supplement in your feed. You're a bit of spice at
times. Lol Pars

[grassfarmer]

Wasn't a freudian slip as much as an Apple slip, Burnt.
Damn new IMAC is too smart by half - always
"correcting" my spelling as I type. Drives me crazy.

[kato]

I don't know how the difference came about, but when our niece and her husband, when working as nurses in Texas, used tell us they had to come home to get a decent steak.

Texas is supposed to be famous for it's steak, but they said it tasted odd, and tended to be pretty tough. The first thing they would do when they got home was fire up the barbeque.

[grassfarmer]

Texas - where the steaks are so tough they
make your smile turn down like a brahma's ears.

[per]

Hey I was just pointing out a fact of our feedlot sector. I am a bit of a fan of the grass finished beef that I grow along with commodity calves. You won't find me trashing grain finished beef either, they are a very important part of the cattle economy in our province and produce a decent product. I was just pointing out that as long as our feedlots use corn we can not differentiate this product as being best because it is barley fed.