Nice to see McDonalds supporting Canadian beef, A&W still hammering away.

[littledoggie]

I agree that most advertising is propaganda. Do you ever listen to the "Age of Persuasion" on CBC Radio 1? It can be a good education on the history of advertising.

In regards to hormone free beef. When the call went out looking for h-f beef, they DID pay for it. Now there is no premium. So typical of BIG FOOD to get a hold of something that was started at ground zero and take control of it with only THEM benefiting. Saw Gaylon Weston claiming that farmer's markets were unsafe. I wouldn't put it past him to be lobbying the government to get rid of farmer's markets.

[kato]

And yet they sell a bread that they call " Farmers Market", which insinuates quality. I can't remember exactly, but I think it's some kind of in store baked whole grain. I never bought it, because I would rather buy real farmers market bread from my friends.

[ProFarmer]

If that little f**ker stopped me on the street pushing his Australian bush beef I would kick him in the balls.He paints a bad picture on a industry that produces the best beef in the world!!! I have never implanted my cattle. Where are the premiums for this meat I have produced gone to?

[grassfarmer]

Lets get real here - why the hate on Australian beef? The A&W deal is using a blend of Australian, Northern US (Montana based) and western Canadian (Highland, Vegreville) beef.
Do you really all hate the Australians or their beef so bad or are you choosing to ignore the Canadian and R-Calf country components?

[littledoggie]

Maybe in the European market?

[littledoggie]

My response was directed at ProFarmer in regards to where his hormone free premium might be.

[grassfarmer]

Profarmer - do you sell fat cattle, feeder cattle or beef? The people paying the premiums are the consumers and they only buy beef. If you aren't selling the beef don't expect the premium.

The high priced markets of the EU are yesterday's news. Expect to see the first Irish beef arriving soon - we are the high price beef market in the world until cattle inventories change.

[DGoodrich]

Profarmer, what makes Alberta or Canadian beef the best beef in the world?

[Happytrails]

GF and DG you'd best belly on up to A&W to test your ideas. If Canadian beef isn't the best then who's is??

[grassfarmer]

HT, Not sure which ideas you think I need A&W to test for me? I've been selling hormone free, grass-fed beef direct to discerning customers for the last 12 years and know how to capture the premium they are prepared to pay for it.

I just find these claims of "the best beef in the world" hollow, arrogant and lead to complacency. I've had excellent beef in Alberta, but I've also had cow beef from Botswana that would easily be ahead of 95% of the beef I've tasted in Canada. There is good and bad just about everywhere and to claim otherwise is foolish.

What about Argentina that had a reputation for exporting high quality beef before Alberta was a province? or Scotland that was exporting the same reputation 200 years prior? I know both of these nations claim to have the "best beef in the world" too. I've been around long enough not to buy the rhetoric.

Here is a thought though: if Canadian is the best beef in the world why isn't it labelled as such and priced as such in our leading export market the US? rather it's shoved in the back door hoping no-one notices it wasn't "born in the USA" ?