Salesmanship
On the big island of Hawaii is the 200,000-acre Parker Ranch, which produces close to 20,000 head of cattle annually, with the emphasis on Aberdeen Angus.
Since the United States has a law that only American ships and crews can carry goods between U.S. ports, the Parker operation is at a competitive disadvantage in moving its cattle to the mainland and, indeed, to the rest of Hawaii. Australia can put beef on Hawaiian tables at substantially less cost by using ships whose crews don’t get the U.S. salary scale.
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To maintain beef sales, ranch owners have decided to target the freer-spending tourists and better-heeled Hawaiians by promoting Parker Ranch Angus Pride beef. “Grass fed beef,” they call it. When we were on the Parker Ranch some years ago the forage they had seemed to be mostly tame hay, quite a bit of it clover.
The beef tastes much like what is produced in Lethbridge, Dafoe and Carman but I’m sure your snobbery index will rise six points when you shell out big American bucks for Parker Ranch Angus Pride steak.
Production and transportation disadvantages crop up in this country too.
With the necessary promotion capital and some innovative thinking, solutions can be found. The organic farmers managed to find a niche market, the poultry and hog producers moved to factory-type operations.
As is happening across Western Canada, the Hawaiian rancher is supplementing his cattle marketing income by offering accommodation, restaurants, crafts and tours.
There’s more than one way to skin a tourist.
