This can't hurt

[smcgrath76]

BFW - I guess I am a bit in the "I will
believe it when I see it" camp. I have
invested in a plant before and lost my
$. I know the Balzac plant and toured
it when it was in operation and it is a
very good plant and was started with
seasoned management. I hope Rick Vesta
can make it go, and I am pretty sure he
will need a deep pool of $.
I have little to no faith in CFIA making
things work, and I know there are
labeling claim issues with "Alberta
Beef" and CFIA even though it has
absolutely nothing to do with beef
safety (which is actually CFIA's
mandate).
I think the current structure is going
to put upward pressure on fed prices in
AB, at least for the short term and I
will be interested to see if the pricing
of JBS and Cargill is as predatory as XL
and Cargill was.
I think if they can truly differentiate
themselves and sell/source a customized
product(s) they may survive and be a
great contributor to the industry. I
might be more excited in 24 to 36 months
from now.

[kato]

My point was why "Alberta" beef? Western Canada is full of cattle, and lots of them end up in Alberta feedlots, so why not "Canadian" beef? It would be nice to be appreciated in Manitoba, SK, and BC for the quality cattle we raise.

Ten little countries.... it's sad.

[GaryE]

i'D LIKE TO SAY THANK-YOU TO THE PRICE FAMILY FOR KEEPING THIS A BEEF PLANT. It would have been much easier to flip this into a real estate venture and take their profit. We finally have a plant of substantial size that is willing to look at markets instead of taking our basis discounted beef to the US

[rkaiser]

You suspect by my tone hey BTW? LOL

I have been learning how to keep my mouth shut a little better these days.

Pretty sure by your tone that you have a few connections however.

And honestly - all the best. Getting another player in the game at the packing plant level is definitely good for our beef and cattle industries.

Nice to see the kind of support that Cattle Feeders is giving the buyer.

[BFW]

All I can say is a hope we start to get a little competition for finished cattle here on the prairies and the opportunity to ship beef to some different markets. Not expecting this to change the world but anything will be better than shipping steers half way across the continent.

[perfecho]

I hear you Kato.....its kinda like the Angus burger when you are a Gelbvieh breeder........
It almost follows the "split and conquer" method.

[grassfarmer]

Heck don't feel left out Perfecho, there's probably as
much Angus in your average Gelbvieh as there is in
your average Angus nowadays.

[perfecho]

In some cases, your right GF...

[rkaiser]

Held back a few days on commenting on some of the stuff on this thread. Typical tongue and cheek comments that I fed into myself.

This industry has been so closed off for years and I truly believe it is why we are where we are. A little transparency is needed without the fear.
A little less of "what can this do for me" and a little more "what can this do for us".

There you go ABP boys - call me a socialist like you have in the past. LMAO

Very nice of you to commend the Price family Gary; however saying they held out for a beef industry buyer, out of the goodness of their heart is somewhat laughable. Had a real estate opportunity presented itself, it woulda bin gonzo a long time ago. Selling white elephants is a tough biz.

As for BTW and the gang at Alberta Cattle Feeders promoting and backing the sale to Harmony beef. Come on. I never saw more media hype in my life. My God, this company and this man are "legends" in the minds of those at the Alberta Cattle Feeders, who will be the biggest benefactors from both the sale of cattle and even the sale of the plant itself. (details on that I will leave out).

Will this sale benefit the grassroots producer in the typical trickle down system the we have in place. LMAO

BTW told us recently that any costs incurred by feedlots get transferred directly to the cow man and I don't think that he plans to share any extra profits from a new plant unless it is forced on him by supply and demand economics.

The hype and support that the feedlots are giving to this American buyer is amazing to say the least. Where was that hype and support when the producer ownership of the plant idea was on the table ---- AND STILL COULD BE.

The Balzac "Ranchers Beef Plant" is for sale at a cheap price and would be well protected by real estate value should the government guarantee a loan to a group like ours still wanting to put that ownership into producers hands over time.

Should the Harmony beef deal go through, great. Should our group be able to do business with Harmony knowing our truth and "attitude", good. Should they decide we are not their cup of tea. On to the next project... LOL

One thing is certain - the industry will change. And some group will eventually see the good in what we have to say.

One last note. I hope that Harmony is in this for the long run and not just planning to flip this plant into the hands of one of the two big boys after a few months.

Whoops - did I just spill the beans on what I think is a very legitimate business plan.... LOL

[GaryE]

Unfortunately Randy, the last ten years have been an expensive educational initiative and the only real knowledge that I've gained is that a cattleman has as much chance of running a large meat processing facility as running a taxi cab operation...it can be done but the combination of talents is rare.
I understand your fear that this may be a collusion with one of the majors but Balzac is the only facility of substantial size that can successfully address the EU oportunity. Neither High River or Brooks are geared to address that market and as the EU still requires hormone free beef, that gives the cow/calf producer an opportunity to be a direct player in the market as these calves must be verified before they leave the ranch of origin.
This is the best news I've heard in a while. It's been so long coming that I can't remember where I put my rose colored glasses.