Ten Years of Corn Fed Beef Quality

It’s been ten years and counting for two meat businesses that have enthusiastically supported the Ontario Corn Fed Beef program since its inception. Norwich Packers (Norpac) was the first provincial processor to come on board while Ted Farron’s Gourmet Butcher Shop in Windsor was one of the first retailers to feature the signature brand of the Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association.

The Ontario Corn Fed Beef program was launched in June of 2001.

For Ted Farron, the program represented a good news story that was needed at the time.

“The reason I came on board is we had some bad news in the meat business and negative things about Canadian beef,” recalls Farron, noting that people were becoming more concerned about the quality and safety of beef products. “I was glad to see that Ontario stepped up to come out with a real clean program; no animal by-products fed to the cattle, giving people the assurance of a quality piece of meat.”

As for his customers’ response, Farron says the reaction to the Ontario Corn Fed Beef program has been terrific.

Updates

Loblaw Boosts Ontario Beef Offering

As long-time advocates of Ontario beef,  Zehrs Markets®, valu-mart®, Your Independent Grocer® and BloorStreet Market™ grocery stores  in Ontario – corporate and franchised retail stores of Loblaw Companies Limited – have taken their current partnership with Ontario Cattle Feeders Association (OCFA) to a new level by featuring a significantly increased Ontario beef offering.

This evolving relationship between Loblaw and OCFA means that an increase from 240 Ontario beef farmers to approximately 500 farmers will be supplying Ontario Corn Fed Beef, the OCFA’s signature beef brand, to more than 150 stores.

The beef is marked with a special logo making it easy for customers to find product grown in Ontario.

“We know our customers want to buy products that are sourced locally from Ontario, so we are thrilled to be able to advance our partnership with Ontario farmers to deliver products that can meet demand and our high standards,” said Rodney Koning, vice-president of Meat and Seafood, Loblaw Companies Limited.

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On The Road Again

Be sure to stop by and see us at our mobile kitchen unit, known as the “There’s No Taste Like Home” trailer.  Operated by the Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association, the unit brings the great taste of local food products, like Ontario Corn Fed Beef, to consumers across the province. We’ll be at Canada’s Outdoor Farm…

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OCFA Salutes 4-H Beef Clubs

As the fall fair season hits full stride, hundreds of young people will be taking part in the local 4-H competitions.  

Despite the many challenges the beef industry has faced in recent years, participation in the 4-H beef competitions has been steady.

 Lyndon Stewart, executive director of 4-H Ontario, says beef remains in the top three livestock projects, along with the dairy and horse categories.

 “Since 2003, we have had in excess of 1,000 members per year. And even in 2010, we have 1,037 4-H members enrolled in beef clubs or projects,” says Stewart.

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Dollar Key To Ag Marketing

Of all the factors that affect crop and livestock prices, the value of the Canadian dollar will be the one to watch in 2010. Ontario-based market analysts Moe Agostino and Philip Shaw stressed the importance of the stronger Canadian dollar in their presentations at the Western Fair Farm Show in London.

Agostino, marketing commodity strategist for Farms.com Risk Management, is cautiously optimistic about the livestock markets in the months ahead. The one main negative factor in his outlook is the projection for the Canadian dollar to trade at or above par with the U.S. greenback.

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Consumers Remain Cautious

A guest speaker at the recent Ontario Cattlemen’s Association annual meeting says a different type of consumer will emerge from the recession.

Peter Chapman, a former food retailing executive, presented his view of retail and consumer trends during the meeting. Prior to founding his current consulting firm, GPS Business Solutions in Bedford, Nova Scotia, Chapman spent 19 years with Loblaws, Canada’s largest food retailer.

Updates

Royal Takes Reins of OCA

Curtis Royal, a past-president of the Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association, is the new president of the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association.

The Simcoe County beef producer took the helm of the OCA at the annual general meeting February 24 in Toronto.

Of the many issues challenging the beef industry, Royal says working with the Ontario Agriculture Sustainability Coalition will continue to be a key priority. “We’ll continue take our message forward about the state of the industry and we’re also going to do more work on the risk management side to develop a good, sustainable risk management plan for all sectors of our industry,” says Royal.

Updates

Avoiding The Costly Mistakes

Dr. Ron Hanson, an agri-business professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a leading speaker on farm succession planning, says he didn’t come to Canada to make friends. The goal of Hanson’s presentation at the Beef Industry Convention was to help save farms and, more importantly, save families. Unfortunately, both are often lost when the farm succession process goes terribly wrong.

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Panel Tackles Wide Range of Issues

The panel at the 2010 Beef Industry Convention produced a lively and fascinating discussion on many national and international issues that affect farmers. This year’s panel was moderated by Globe & Mail political columnist John Ibbitson (centre) and featured University of Nebraska-Lincoln agri-business professor Dr. Ron Hanson (left) and Alex Avery (right), director of research and education for the Virginia-based Center for Global Food Issues.

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