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8 THE RURAL VOICE
Jeffrey Carter
Don't ridicule those who'll pay more for food
Bob Kerr is the kind of fellow
who's willing to poke his nose out
ahead of the pack. He's done it in the
past. He's doing it again with his
pasture -fed beef venture.
Certainly. there's a chance Kerr
will receive a
harp rap on his
probiscus
and will retreat
from the venture.
But it certainly
won't be a fatal
blow. While the
Chatham -Kent
farmer is taking .,
chance. the
number of cattle
that he's
finishing on grass
are just a small
percentage of his
finishing herd
and Kerr and his wife Moira are
involved with a variety of farming
ventures on their 1,600 acres —
everything from asparagus to
processing tomatoes.
Still, I'm a believer. Here's why.
I bought for myself a pair of Back
to Nature Beef T-bone steaks and
cooked them on the barbecue. They
were tender. They were tasty. The fat
was slightly sweet, just as Kerr had
predicted it would be.
The cost of the two steaks was
over $20, not something I can usually
afford although I've kept the receipt
for tax purposes. I would venture to
say that the price of a mixed quarter,
though still being sold for a premium,
is something I would definitely
consider — fully expecting the same
quality.
The second thing Kerr's venture
has going for it are the health claims
attached to the beef. Sure, I know,
any type of beef can be a healthy part
of your diet but Kerr's Back to
Nature Beef, having been finished on
grass, has some added benefits.
There's evidence that pasture -
finished beef has a better balance
between the Omega 3 and,Omega 6
fatty acid chains, more conjugated
linoleic acids, and more beta
carotene. These things, let's say
for the sake of brevity, are good
things.
I suspect the first thought to pop
into a cattleman's (or cattlewoman's)
head as they read this column will be
something like: "My beef is just as
good!" (I'm sure regular egg
producers say the same thing every
time they see the stack of Omega 3
eggs on shelf of their local grocery
store.)
The second thought would
probably be something like: "That
damn fool Carter could have saved
himself some cash and bought a
quarter of regular beef."
In response to this imagined
criticism, let me say this: If I'm fool
enough to pay more than the usual
amount for something a farmer
produces on their farm, where's the
harm? Isn't that just a way to put my
wallet where my mouth is? (I'm the
kind of fellow who figures out which
is the best toilet paper buy so do not
assume I'm easily had.)
I think in 20 years from now,
people from Chatham -Kent and
perhaps even from across Ontario,
will look back and recognize Kerr as
a pioneer in the beef industry. I say
this because I feel Kerr and others
like him have recognized that the
food industry shift towards the lowest
common denominator (vast quantities
of identical commodities for the least
amount of money) has begun to slow.
I'm not suggesting farming will
move to the way things were in the
1970s, 1960s or before. Things will
change though. Differentiation will
be a big part of the future. Who better
to truly differentiate than the farmers
themselves? In my mind, that adds up
to more opportunities for more of the
people of the Iand.O
Jeffrey Carter is a freelance
journalist based in Dresden, Ontario.
Letters may be sent to P.O. Box
1207, Dresden. Ontario. NOP IMO or
to this magazine.