BEAVER MINES, Alta. – Keith and Bev Everts didn’t eat meat before they
became ranchers. Today they, along with their neighbours, grow and
market some of the most sought-after beef in Canada.
The Everts produce organic cattle on their 4,500 acres of range and
irrigated cropland on the eastern slopes of the Border Range of the
Rocky Mountains. They supplement deeded and leased range with a share
of a 10,000-acre forestry lease on the lower mountain slopes.
They are a part of the Producers of the Diamond Willow Ltd., a
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successful group of organic cattle growers with seven ranches
stretching along the mountain slopes from Waterton National Park to
south of Calgary. Their markets range from Montreal to Vancouver.
Ranching wasn’t always as good to the Everts as it is today.
After receiving some organic barley as a wedding gift, they decided
they should have some cows to make use of the grain.
“One day we went outside to find half the herd had died. It was sweet
clover or something,” said Keith.
That was 1978 and the remaining cow became the foundation for the
Stillridge Ranch.
Before buying their first two cows, the Everts participated in the
Green Program. It is a government-sponsored, agriculture training
scheme in which students are placed with farmers and ranchers for work
education.
“We were vegetarians. We didn’t eat meat. Not for any ideological
reasons. We just didn’t know or trust where it came from. We were
finding out quickly,” said Bev.
Working for a farmer near Pincher Creek, Alta., while in the Green
Program, they learned how to grow grain with high levels of inputs.
“It was impressive. But we didn’t like the way the chemicals made us
feel. … I got sick once …. We decided that type of agriculture
wasn’t for us,” said Keith.
They also worked for a rancher who chose not to use “too many inputs.
They cost money and he didn’t like to spend money,” said Bev.
For him, they worked for wages and cattle. By the time they left his
employ, they had 22 head of their own.
The couple supplemented their farm with work, he as a mechanic and she
as a waitress at the local ski hill. Bev also worked at the swimming
pool in Pincher Creek. All the while, they were increasing their cow
numbers.
They built their herd without the help of hormones or antibiotics
“unless absolutely necessary,” and managed their grass without
artificial fertilizers or pesticides.
“We never thought of our business as organic,” said Keith. “We just
didn’t want to use those products. It also kept some of the costs down.
Trouble was we weren’t getting an (organic) premium for our beef. “
But the way the Everts managed their ranch had caught the attention of
other producers. Keith had been a vocal member of the Alberta Cattle
Commission and was known for his views on marketing healthy food and
cattle production without hormones.
They were hired to set up and manage a new ranch nearby that operated
similarly to their own.
Improved cattle prices and a growing herd would eventually allow the
Everts to reduce their off-farm work and concentrate on new
opportunities on their own ranch.
One of those opportunities was to become registered as organic growers.
They saw a market that could be filled with their cattle. The problem
was that one small ranch could do little to meet the demand.
“Just the two ranches couldn’t do it. We needed more production,” said
Bev.
Along with eight other area ranches, now back to seven, they formed the
Producers of the Diamond Willow Ltd. The company finds organic feed,
contracts the finishing with a feedlot and arranges the slaughter,
packing and marketing of the organic beef.
“We produce and sell a branded beef,” said Keith, “like Angus or
Natural, etc., do. We require certain production standards like other
branded beef producers. It’s just that ours are a lot more stringent.”
Diamond Willow growers must adhere to Organic Crop Improvement
Association standards, as well as those of their own company.
The Everts’ 200 cows get a lot of attention, but other than an
eight-way inoculation after birth, it doesn’t come in the form of a
needle.
“We have to watch a little more closely for health issues. But mostly
it is just producing cattle the old-fashioned way,” said Keith.
Cattle need grain as well as grass and the Everts have expanded their
land base from 320 acres to accommodate the needs of the herd.
They now farm 360 acres of irrigated land where they can produce
organic grain and hay and provide winter grazing. They also have 420
acres of dryland cropping.
Recently they also purchased the ranch that eight years ago they had
set up under some of the same principles they used themselves.
The Everts say the cattle they have chosen for their operation were
found through trial and error.
“They are made up of a composite of British breeds, Angus, Hereford and
others. We’re using Beef Booster bulls. We need and get consistent
results, A2 animals,” said Keith.
Bev said the dual roles of marketer and producer have taught them a
lot: “We know how animals that are slow to finish hurt us. We see how
each animal performs. We see the statistics and get to see what makes
money right down to the store level. You learn a lot about raising
cattle when you see what packers and wholesalers have to do to sell
beef.”
Keith said the record keeping required in an organic farm caused him
some headaches over the years but the result is, “I am a better
producer. It didn’t hurt me to improve the way I raised cattle. I
learned about my animals.
“I do a lot of reading and research. I probably wouldn’t be doing as
much of it if I were a regular cattle guy.
“Now that people see how we operate, they have stopped labelling us as
weird. There is growing interest by others in the way we produce, the
way we look after the land. It’s our lifestyle. I think they stopped
labeling us. Maybe.”
