The Rural Voice, 2002-05, Page 12!erth Dust
Control
Applies Environmentally
Friendly Dust Suppressant
Great for parking lots,
driveways, constructions sites,
farm lanes, etc.
• NO LEACHING • NO CHLORIDE
• NO RUST • NO OIL
Non-toxic and non -corrosive. Increases the
load bearing capacity of all roads and creates a
tightly bound surface that improves traction and
skid resistance. Approved by the Ministry of the
Environment, Canada Food and Agriculture
and the Ministry of Transportation. It provides
the safest most effective dust control
available.
Perth Dust Control uses versatile, calibrated
equipment That ensures a hard, durable
surface. We can apply close to buildings -- or
wherever you need it.
For a Free Estimate Call
STEVE KUEPFER
RR 1, Newton, ON
(519) 595-8025
Mobile (519) 272-5296
Fax (519) 525-4441
24 hr. Personal Answering Machine
FARM
TIRES
Good selection of Duals
Large stock of all brands
of passenger,
truck & farm
ti res
23- Rt
'On Farm Service'
Two fully equipped service trucks
Willits
Tire Service
Lucknow
519-528-2103
8 THE RURAL VOICE
Jeffrey Carter
Don't chicken fg the beef industrg
Jeffrey
Carter is a
freelance
journalist
based in
Dresden,
Ontario.
By Jeffrey Carter
A growing number of cattle are
coming with wings and drumsticks.
I'm sure that strikes an unsavory
picture in the minds of cattle
producers who'd rather chew beef
gristle than bite chicken but it's true
in a sense.
There's an effort within the beef
industry to produce cookie -cutter
cattle. This is a logical move from
one perspective. It boosts packer
efficiency and gives consumers a
consistent product. Consistency, it
seems, wins over quality in North
America.
Consider the big burger chains.
Sure, you can get a better burger from
an independent restaurant but food
has become fuel. Shove it in your
mouth, rush back to work or the
nearest shopping centre, and be
happy.
Two U.S. beef industry
representatives, Jim Baker and Don
Schiefelbein, talked about the need
for consistent beef at the Beef Focus
in Alvinstun on April 5, an annual
gathering of producers from Lambton
County and the surrounding area.
Baker is president of 'Great Lakes
Cattle Marketing in Michigan, a
company that's moving Holsteins
(they're consistent) and other beef to
packing facilities acquired by
Smithfield Foods in 2001. Don
Schiefelbein is the executive director
of the American Gelbvieh
Association.
Both men spoke favourably
toward this trend toward consistency
in the beef industry.
Baker and three of his associates
have allied themselves with
Smithfield Foods, providing finance
to producers who move their cattle to
Smithfield's packing operations in
Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin,
Nebraska, and Arizona. Smithfield
Foods wants a consistent product.
Schiefelbein, as executive director
of his association, represents nearly
2,000 Gelbvieh breeders. The
association's SmartCrossTM program
is promoting the Gelbvieh breed as
key component in developing
consistency in North America's beef
cattle.
There's merit in what Baker and
Schiefelbein have to say but there's a
bigger picture to consider.
In the United States, the poultry
industry is vertically integrated.
Primary producers have been
relegated to peasant status for the
most part. The U.S. and Canadian
hog industry is moving in the same
direction.
What do chicken and hogs have in
common? Consistency.
Now the beef industry is moving
in the same direction. Schiefelbein
suggests that once 70 per cent of the
cattle meet packer standards for
consistency, they won't be looking
for the off -types.
That may be a good thing. After
all, consistency has been an important
factor in the rising popularity of
chicken and pork. Perhaps beef
producers, if they fall into line, can
achieve a similar result.
Then again, chicken and pork
producers have lost a big part of their
independence in the process. Beef
producers stand to lose the same.
There may be a middle road.
Say yes to consistency and at the
same time differentiate. Not every
cattle beast in North America has to'
look the same. Perhaps producers can
offer a broad range of cattle beast
types — big ones, small ones, lean
ones, fat ones – while maintaining
consistency within each grouping.
That offers consumers a choice —
and consistency — and may be
enough to prevent top-down control
of the beef industry.0