The Rural Voice, 2002-09, Page 471
Food safety might be a key to
mobilizing public support for the
family farrn, he says. "What we put
we put in our mouths does determine
how healthy and how well we will
survive our later years," he says.
Consumer interest is shown by the
proliferation of farm gate operations
selling directly to the consumer.
Consumer concerns for the
environment may also support family
farms. People on smaller landbases
are more aware of environmental
consequences of their actions and
therefore take more care, he says.
Regulations aren't needed when you
have smaller operators unless
commodity prices are so low that
people cut corners to survive.
Looking at the vulnerability of
large western feedlots to feed
and water shortages, he
wonders if it wouVi be wise to move
back to the farm model where calves
are born and raised on the same farm
and only get on a truck when they're
going to processing.
In his own family's operation
they've turned more and more to
pasture -based production, being an
early adopter of rotational grazing.
Partly that was from necessity with
100 acres of the farm's 400 acres
being river flats that flood regularly
so he had to look at portable fencing.
Once he adopted rotational grazing
he set a goal to become the best he
could be.
"The more you take cattle out of a
natural habitat, the greater the
responsibility is on you to have
safety nets for health and nutrition."
Ninety per cent of the worlds cattle
never see prepared feeds, he notes
with cattle in Brazil and other
countries always being on grass.
Moving to a more natural system
he has found that during his bull
testing program in the past three
years he has not had to treat a single
animal for sickness or injury. Maybe
what farmers can offer by raising
cattle from birth to shipping on their
own farm is not having to have the
safety net of drug treatments and
growth promotants that is required in
a less natural, more high -stress
system, he says.
Shaver is hoping something will
change the beef industry in Ontario.
As it stands, he says, its slipping
from being a serious industry to
being a cottage industry.e
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SEPTEMBER 2002 43