SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. – It’s not the consumer’s job to buy whatever farmers produce, Saskatchewan beef producers were told recently.
Rather, the message at the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association convention was that it’s up to farmers to listen to the marketplace, and right now they’re being told to produce smaller cuts and more convenience foods.
“We don’t listen to the marketplace very well,” said Neil Jahnke, past-president of the Canadian Beef Export Federation. “And we have not spent enough time on new product development.”
He said the popularity of chicken wings is a good example of what the poultry industry has achieved with a less valuable cut.
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Dave Worke, beef manager at Western Canadian Beef Packers in Moose Jaw, told the producers they are really in the protein business. He said everyone in the industry, from the cow/calf and feed grain producers to the packers and meat cutters, needs to be concerned about “the product that fits the marketplace, not our individual needs.”
According to the Beef Information Centre, a survey of 4,500 consumers during the last three months of 1995 found 48 percent of beef sales were ground beef. Roasts accounted for 18 percent, steaks for 16 percent, and other cuts 18 percent.
Carolyn McDonnell, the centre’s executive manager, said consumers want quick, easy ways to use beef. They often stop at a store to pick up ingredients for a meal without knowing what they want to buy. If the right cuts are available, consumers would choose beef more often.
