The Rural Voice, 2004-12, Page 25whole concept of buying a pot -roast
that needed to be taken out of the
freezer a day in advance and thawed
was foreign to them. "You are asking
them to make a major shift in
lifestyle."
As well, she explained, most
urban residents didn't have freezer
room for a quarter or a half of beef
and the idea of spending that much
money at once for beef was daunting.
The solution was a 50 -pound box
of 15 mixed cuts of beef selling for
$200. Most people can find room for
50 pounds and aren't overwhelmed
by either the price or the quantity.
Consumers supporting this sort of
project also want to know their beef
is grown without hormones and with
a minimum of antibiotic use, says
Finlay -Stewart. Beef Connections
promises its beef comes from young
animals, that the cattle are raised on
the farm where they were born, that
no hormones are used, that anti-
biotics are used only under veterinary
advice and that the beef is hung a
minimum of 14 days for tenderness.
Finlay -Stewart asked farmers to tell
her what they could deliver and she
promised to promote that.
Some farmers have indicated
they can't meet those
specifications now but they will
change next year so they can deliver
the products desired by customers.
For consumers wanting less than a
50 -pound box, Beef Connections
puts them in touch with Beef Over
Grey, a group formed by Grey
County Farmers Jacquie Hendry,
Wayne Caughill, Paul Wettlaufer,
and Bob Brassington and Ray
Hunking from nearby Dufferin
County. This group came together
initially to gain publicity for the
plight of farmers after receiving a
miniscule cheque for the sale of a
cattle beast. They contacted local
media about the paltry amount the
farmer received for his beef and the
publicity web spread from there
across the country, reminding
urbanites that the crisis was not over
for farmers.
But the five wanted to do more
than complain and so were
determined to find new ways to
market beef. Unlike the producers
with Beef Connections, none of them
had experience with freezer beef.
Like the producers of Beef
Seaaan'a gxeeting.a (*ant
J lie Mitcliett`1-amity
Carol Mitchell, M.P.P.
Huron -Bruce
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