The Rural Voice, 2002-09, Page 48Building a value chain
Ontario's grain -fed veal producers build a
partnership with processors, retailers
and create a branded product
Story and photo by Keith Roulston
you see them in many
barnyards around Ontario —
those little white calf -hutches
that house newly -weaned calves, and
yet the veal industry is almost
unknown compared to most
commodities. Still, as Wingham-area
producer Chris Palmer, president of
the Ontario Veal Association points
out, there are an estimated 1500 veal
producers.
What's more, Ontario veal
producers are leading the way in
some innovative ways which other
commodities are only talking about.
The main markets for veal are in
the Toronto, Burlington and
Hamilton areas where there is a
significant population of people
whose origins were in Mediterranean
countries, Palmer says.
"They eat an awful lot of both
milk -fed and grain -fed veal," he says.
Milk fed veal has a relatively few
44 THE RURAL VOICE
but large producers, but there are
hundreds of people producing grain
fed veal. The past 25 years have seen
a significant growth because grain
fed veal is less expensive to get into,
says Palmer who switched from pork
production himself seven years ago.
Milk -fed veal is a whole different
ball game. "I would not get into it —
I couldn't," Palmer says. "It takes a
lot of investment and a perfect
building because the conditions have
to be heated in the winter, almost air
conditioned in the summer and the
average producer just doesn't do that.
But grain -fed, it's just like beef. You
put them in a pen and take care of
them — feed and water and clean
them — and they do their own
thing."
It's a branch of farming that
anyone can get into, he says. Many
Mennonites, for instance, produce
veal.
In grain -fed veal, young calves,
usually from Holstein dairy stock, are
started in hutches on milk then
weaned at six weeks to a corn and
supplement diet. The calves are
moved to group pens, just like beef
cattle and are finished off about
about 700 pounds.
It turns out to be a good product
with meat a little lighter than beef
and is very attractive to the tastebuds
of southern European customers,
Palmer says.
Production is a challenge,
however, Palmer acknowledges with
illness being a constant danger.
Holstein cattle tend to have lung
problems so need special care.
There are some cross -bred calves
and even some Ayrshires, Jerseys
and Guernseys. There's a market for
them but not at the same price as
Holstein -based calves.
"The Holstein and Holstein -cross
makes a tremendous animal," says
Palmer.
The nemesis of Ontario Veal
producers is the subsidized veal
producers of Quebec. Producers here
are envious of the Quebec farm plan
but they cannot compete for calves
for vealing, he says. It's good for
dairy producers with prices soaring
from $100 for a bull calf to over
$300. "It doesn't matter what they