WINNIPEG – Convincing more Manitoba ranchers to feed a few calves rather than dispose of them all has been a tough sell for a small co-op in the Interlake region.
Ed Chrisp, a Lundar producer and one of 15 members of the Gourmet Table Beef Co-op, said his group has been trying to get more producers to feed calves for their label.
“We’re all guilty of it as producers: We’ve always sold calves and somebody else gets the econo-
mic activity from those calves,”
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Chrisp said.
The group, along with Interlake Packers of St. Laurent, Man., has been selling small quantities of high quality beef in Winnipeg for four years. Chrisp said a small grocery chain wants to carry the beef, but the co-op hasn’t been able to guarantee consistent supplies.
“It’s a niche market that we could have,” Chrisp said. “It’s just to get people rolling at it.”
Owning an abattoir
This year, the co-op will kill 15 to 20 head per week. Chrisp said if the group could get its numbers up to 5,000 head per year, it could build its own abattoir.
“Our problem is, right now we can’t get producers interested in putting cattle on it,” Chrisp said.
This year, he said a few more are considering the idea because the loss of the Crow grain transportation subsidy has made it less economical to ship barley long distances. Also, producers aren’t getting much money for their calves now.
The co-op is offering a trial period for producers that allows them in the first year, to commit between one and 20 head without paying the $100 membership fee.
Chrisp said most co-op members winter their Gourmet Table cattle at the Gunton Bull Test Station, but producers are welcome to feed them at home, providing they use the same barley ration.
“We kind of feel there is a difference between feeding corn and feeding barley. So if you want to always have the same consistent flavor, we thought we should stay with one type of feed,” he said.
The packing plant also offers producers a premium of two cents per lb. for meat yields over 62 percent, and another three cents for carcasses that grade AA.
