South Peace Historical Society

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  • Table of Contents

    • Part 1: First Nations of the Peace River Region
    • Part 2: The Fur Trade Era
    • Part 3: Transportation and Communication
    • Part 4: Old Timers and the Price of Land
    • Part 5: Dawson Creek: The Story of the Community
    • Part 6: Mysteries, Adventures and Indian Legends
    • Part 7: Arts, Crafts and Recreation
    • Part 8: Agriculture
    • Part 9: Church Histories
    • Part 10: Schools
    • Part 11: Health Care
    • Part 12: Industries and Enterprises
    • Part 13: Policing the Peace
    • Part 14: Pouce Coupe, Rolla, and Other South Peace Communities
    • Part 15: Chetwynd and the Fort St. John Area
    • Part 16: The Alberta Peace
    • Part 17: Natural History of the Peace River Region
    • Part 18: Interviews with Old Timers
    • Part 19: Remembering Our Veterans

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BN08-63: Organic Beef Producers Forced to Sell on Conventional Market

Recent History – 2000

Oct. 13, 2000

By Brenda Birley for PRASPS

DAWSON CREEK — With organic cattle producers on both sides of the British Columbia – Alberta boarder, the Peace region could be capable of supplying beef to the steadily increasing demand for organic food.

On average, certified organic beef sells for 30 per cent more than conventional beef. Unfortunately, a lack of co-ordinated marketing has many organic producers selling on the conventional market.

“Without a market in place it is easier to avoid the extra paper work involved in certifying cattle and just sell conventionally,” said organic beef producer Kit Fearon of Bonanza, Alta.

“Many Peace Region producers could certify beef but they lack the skills or the desire to do their own marketing.”

For Fearon and her husband, developing their own market became a huge time commitment.

“We wanted to get organic beef into the stores without a huge mark-up so that the average person could afford it; that meant bypassing the distributor,” she said. She started by attending high quality trade shows in major cities. From there, Fearon went every where she could think of that would market organic beef.

The hard work paid off and now they have a fairly steady market.

“But, we still can’t slack off,” said Fearon. “We are very vulnerable because we are only selling to a few sources.”

In her attempt to gain new contracts, supply became a reoccurring problem.

“One distributor was very interested in our beef, but they wanted 500 animals finished all at the same time, no single producer here could supply that demand.”

Consistency in the finished product is as important as quantity in maintaining contracts. Every shipment must have the same grade, quality and size product. “If an outlet agrees to buy a 1,200 pound animal because they want six pound steaks, they are not going to be happy with a 1,600 pound animal, and they will look for a new supplier,” explained Fearon.

“If we, in the Peace, want to break into the larger market we are eventually going to have to have a single selling desk, a feed lot,” said Fearon. Members of the Peace River Organic Producer’s Association (PROPA) have been trying for years to organize an Organic Feedlot. “Most members are cow and calf operators, that is how they are set up and that is how they like it, it is difficult to find somebody interested in finishing,” said Marina Buchan, PROPA Co-ordinator.

Finishing cattle to the point of sale requires more money for infrastructure, processing and packaging. It also involves an enormous commitment. In order to sell to a distributor or large food outlet, an organic producer must also be able to provide a consistent supply of beef 365 days out of the year.

While few organic producers in the Peace Region are certifying and marketing organic beef, there is great potential.

“People are really interested in our products, we have the expertise, but we need to move from cow calf operations into finishing. We have to stop sending our beef out as commodities,” said Buchan. “We need to work together.”

This article is taken from the Peace River Block Daily News, Dawson Creek, with the permission of the publisher. The Daily News retains all rights relating to this material. The information in this article is intended solely for research or general interest purposes.

« BN08-62: Peace Farmers Face Difficult Harvest and Poor Crop Quality

BN08-64: Pickseed Gets Gino Morrone with UGG Plant »

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