OLDS, Alta. – Selling farm fresh beef to customers willing to pay extra for quality is one way some producers are managing their way out of a volatile market.
Remitall Beef was a glimmer in the Latimer family’s eye 18 months ago as they considered selling branded beef from their black Angus and polled Hereford herds.
“We wondered at that time if we could make it fly. Then once BSE hit, that was the kick in the pants we needed,” said Bryan Latimer.
After selling purebred livestock for 60 years, the family wanted to expand the ranch business. But on a limited acreage, it was time to get creative.
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Managed by sisters-in-law Annette and Jacci Latimer, the company started with low key advertising and took advantage of its location in west-central Alberta. The family lives just off Highway 2 and its links to major markets in Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton.
They are already pushed to keep up with the demand.
“The encouraging thing is the people who bought it have been happy with it, so I hope we can maintain that quality all the way through,” said Bryan Latimer. “We could sell more than we can supply.”
So far price is not an issue for their customers, who are more interested in quality and knowing the history of the beef they eat.
No hormones are used on the cattle, which are finished on grain on the home place. They are able to provide complete records from birth to plate. Meat is processed in Didsbury at a provincially inspected abattoir. It is delivered cut, wrapped and frozen in quarters, halves or whole carcasses.
“We don’t see any limitations to it as long as we can match the quality to the amount of production we can service,” he said.
Recently they have started talking with local grocers. Once at the retail counter, they plan to sell individual cuts and, if necessary, the family will build a federally inspected beef plant.
“Obviously as it expands we are going to have to look at building our own. It wouldn’t have to be a big plant to start marketing a lot of animals,” Latimer said.
