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JANUARY 2018 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


Opportunities for Cariboo


grass-fed beef Centre of Excellence facility could address capacity, training issues


by TOM WALKER


WILLIAMS LAKE – Thompson Rivers University’s Sustainable Ranching program hosted a ‘grass-fed beef from start to finish’ seminar at TRU’s Williams Lake campus in early December that attracted both students and members of the ranching and processing industries to discuss topics of interest to the local beef industry. “This was one of the best


days for industry participation with 42 people [attending] either in person or by video conference,” says program director Gillian Watt. “Our program is the catalyst of a lot of energy and optimism in the local ranching industry and our seminars and field days are an indication of this.” Watt started the day by


assigning students a gross margin calculation for their on-going ‘virtual ranch’ project. The calculation envisioned both a backgrounding to finish and a processing to sales enterprise for a grass-finished animal. “We know there is an


increasing market for local grass-fed beef,” says Watt. “But let’s look at the numbers.” Ranchers in attendance


supported the discussion and provided realistic estimates around feed costs for a grass- finished animal, yardage costs, transportation, processing, and marketing. Rancher insights were particularly helpful regarding winter finishing costs and the difference it makes whether or not the animals are sold wholesale or are processed into retail cuts. Students were assigned a


spreadsheet, which was also made available to all attendees. “It’s important to know


where you are making and losing money,” says Watt.


Reduced capacity Processing facilities are a


key element of the beef production chain and remain a concern for Cariboo area ranchers. With Spokin Lake Meats


closed, Findlay Meats abandoning slaughtering to focus on processing and Rodear Meats just recently returning to operation, ranchers who direct-market meat have been left scrambling to find processing capacity. That’s the story that Sandy


Vanderbyl, Dave Charchuk and Ron Keely heard when they talked with area ranchers


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There’s a growing market for grass-fed beef in BC but there’s a shortage of processing facilities and that presents a challenge to producers. TRUDY SCHWEB FILE PHOTO


this spring. “The lack of capacity is a


concern,” says Charchuk a consultant and former meat inspector with Interior Health. The group outlined a plan


for a BC Meats Centre of Excellence. “This is an exploratory


exercise,” says Charchuk. “We need input. We want to see if


there is an appetite for a facility.” The proposed Centre of


Excellence involves a provincially inspected abattoir and processing plant, a training centre and a research facility. And while Charchuk and local rancher David Zirnhelt expressed confidence that the province


is supportive of processing facilities and they would be applying for money to support the training component of the centre, they were clear that the abattoir and processing would be a private sector business that would not be


See BEEF on next page o


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