The Rural Voice, 1999-06, Page 38i-LU0S4(
COMMITTED TO QUALITY YOU CAN DEPEND ON
1
ELITE MODEL
28L X 26 TIRES
LIQUID MANURE
SPREADER
Also available 1/16 tno leLv
HUSKY FARM EQUIPMENT LTD .
ALMA. ONTARIO NOB 1A0 (519)846-5329
r
Barrie Metals Ltd.
Steel Depot
Full Product Range
Cut to size service
Shearing / flame cutting
Express delivery available
• NEW
• RANDOMS
• SECONDS
• USED
tam
CaU us today for your competitive quotation
220 John Street Owen Sound Tel: (705) 728-1643
Barrie. Ontario Tel: (519) 371-0803 Fax: (705) 725-8212
L4N 2L3 Fax: (519) 371-5795 Watt: (888) 340-7272
•n ro 'ave
-o
U
draulic •ump
Hoses
Bearings Hydraulic Pumps
Cylinders
THE THREE "B's" and MORE
A large in -stock supply of
Belts Bearings Bolts
BELTS: Most popular sizes of A, B, C, 3L, & 3V belts and
pulleys. Specializing in Goodyear belts- cross references
to most manufacturer's numbers.
BEARINGS: A wide range of tapers, ball, thrust, flange and pillow
blocks - metric & inch sizes available
BOLTS: Machine, cap & plow bolts - set and Allen screws
• 1/4" to 10" • Grade 8 • English & Metric sizes
Non -stock items usually available 'overnight'
Machine Shop
Services: Rebuilding & machining castings, gears & gear boxes.
Equipment
& Parts:
Hydraulic pumps, motors, valves, hose, cylinders - new,
rebuilt & exchange.
(BW
BARFOOT'S
w
0
to
co
CD
WELDING AND MACHINE INC.
517 Brown St., Marlon (519) 534.1200 1-800-265-6224
34 THE RURAL VOICE
pretend to aim for the kind of average
daily gain or days to market that
drive Targe finishing operations. "I'm
not forcing the pig to grow," he says.
"If it takes 20 days longer for the pig
to reach market weight, (at (east) the
feed is cheaper.
"The pig will grow at his own
rate. I'm sure the meat will be better
for that."
Taking advantage of that taste
difference is part of the Kassies's
strategy. Working with Metzgers'
Abattoir and Meat Market in Hensall,
they process and package some of
their own pigs. He praises Metzgers
for their co-operation and advice and
for the quality of their work. Coming
from a German background the
family seems to have a knack of
butchering, he says. By comparison,
back when he first began farming, he
recalls, he had a pig killed and cut up
by another butcher but he didn't like
the taste and could hardly eat it
himself. Now pork is a mainstay of
the family diet, he says.
With
advice and help from
the processor the Kassies
sell everything from whole,
half and quarter pigs to bacon to
cottage rolls, hams and riblets. When
they first started retailing they used
the household freezer. Now they've
added two freezers so they can keep
enough product in stock.
They started out selling to friends
and family and, though they recently
started advertising, word of mouth
has still played the biggest part in
expanding their market. Family
members all over the province buy
their pork and resell it to friends and
neighbours.
They supply one restaurant and
with the help of the butcher have
tailored the product to that
customer's needs. They hope that
will lead to more business.
The retail market is still a tiny
portion of their production but one
organic beef producer encouraged
Ron to go all the way to organic
production, saying he could probably
market his entire production directly
to consumers if he did.
Ron is considering the move,
noting the whole use of drugs in
animal production and herbicides and
pesticides in cropping worries him.
The problem, he says, would be
finding an adequate, affordable