46 Processor capacity challenges small-scale farmers
MERRITT – Small scale abattoirs are closing across BC and that is an increasing concern for small-scale livestock and poultry farmers. The lack of processing capacity means more time spent travelling to the ones that remain. For Blue Sky Ranch, near Merritt, it means Kam Lakeview Meats near Kamloops and Rocana Meats in Salmon Arm. However, booking time is difficult. “Last year, we had to sell a lot of our market hogs live because we can’t get them killed,” explains Blue Sky’s Julia Smith. “I’ve had to turn away quite a few potentially good corporate customers who would have taken regular shipments because I can’t rely on being able to process that many pigs.” Smith says there’s no
talking to Victoria. We’re all trying to operate these businesses within a framework that was set up for a completely different type and scale of business,” she says. There’s a way to address public health and safety and still keep small farms in business, she believes, but individual producers can’t take on the challenges alone. “We’re already working
Julia Smith would like to see small-scale meat producers unite to deal with issues like processing capacity. BLUE SKY PHOTO
incentive for abattoirs to make accommodations for small-scale producers. The meat processing business and the regulations behind it ultimately end up not serving small- scale producers well. “One of the accommodations
they’ve made is that some farms will qualify for a Class D or E slaughter licence which allows you to slaughter on-farm,” she says. “But the limits imposed make it so that it’s impossible to earn a living from the number of animals you’re allowed to process.” The licences don’t allow her to sell meat to commercial establishments or outside her regional district. She’s limited to selling directly to local customers which rules out farmers markets in Kelowna and Kamloops. Smith adds that even if she could slaughter, she can’t butcher. Most people who have Class D and E licenses use them as a back-up when
they can’t book into an abattoir. It happens more often than one would expect. “There’s no motivation for most slaughter facilities to take us. We’re a pain in the ass. I’m bringing in a smaller number of pigs and what we’re seeing more and more is smaller producers being squeezed out because it’s not like any of these guys are making any large sums either, so for the amount of regulation and hassle they have to go through, why would they deal with small-scale producers,” she asks rhetorically.
Not one to sit back, Smith is working with other small-scale meat producers to see how they can resolve common issues. Ideally, she’d like a new industry association to advocate for small-scale meat producers and educate consumers. “All of us crying out into the wilderness alone is obviously not working. We need somebody to be
seven days a week,” she says matter-of-factly. “So you see more and more of us disappearing and going back to work off-farm. Most people I know have off-farm jobs and most people I know are subsidizing the cost of food so people who make more money than we do can buy it.” For Smith, the value of
small-scale agriculture goes beyond the price of a cut of meat. “When you’re buying my pork, you’re not just buying a piece of meat. I have this hashtag, ‘meat you can feel good about.’ You’re buying peace of mind. You’re supporting small-scale farms – because one day we may not be able to get food from California, for example. We might be sorry we paved over our farms.” Smith started the farm to change
the world but her aspirations have shifted. “I don’t think I’m going to make a big enough impact to really matter but I know we’ve influenced a good number of people and I sleep really well and I eat really well and I am living the dream by a lot of peoples’ standards,” she says. “I’m off the grid, in nature – it’s beautiful – and doing what I love. That’s worth something.”
—Myrna Stark Leader
SIX REASONS WHY OUR SQUARE-CUT AUGER RESISTS SORTING:
ALEXANDER KNIVES VERTICAL KNIVES
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • MARCH 2018 PIGS nfrom pg 45
getting Christmas turkeys delivered. The extreme cold knocked out their electric fence and the pigs escaped. Ludo went to retrieve the rest of the pigs while Smith went to get the boar. “I’m just not paying attention and I’m standing next to the boar explaining to him that he has to go back now. I never stand that close to a boar’s head because they have tusks. He’s the sweetest boar in the world, but he spins his head around to look at me and puts his tusk right through my gut.” The tusk punctured her
liver. Somehow, Ferrari got her through the snow to medical attention.
“Suddenly, I’m out. And this place was set up to run with two of us,” Smith recounts the traumatic event. She continues to recover
from the accident, which prompted the couple to regroup and reorganize their roles. Smith – who also underwent shoulder surgery last November – now oversees planning and organization, breeding, veterinary, feed management and marketing and sales. Ferrari cares for the pigs and works off-farm as a contractor to help make ends meet.
They’ve scaled back their
original business plan and currently keep about 12 sows and one boar. They closed their butcher shop in Vancouver in June 2017, focussing now on a loyal customer base in Vancouver and in the Merritt area. “Our goal now is just to
produce as much meat as we need to for our current direct to consumer customer base,” Smith says.
REASON 3: Our Alexander Knives, when paired with our patented Vertical Knives, create an unparalleled cutting action. The curved carbide coated cutting edge and angle of the Alexander Knives increases the aggressiveness of cut to improve the processing rate of round baled forages, especially coarser forages. Our Vertical Knives, which are mounted on our slide plate, improve processing and feedout of high forage rations. Together with our four other exclusive auger features, we produce a faster and more uniform mix than sluggish conventional augers, which typically take too long to process forage, resulting in too many fine particles in the shaker box. Nutritionists say if you want to resist sorting you’ll need a TMR with optimum shaker box results, and with a Jaylor you can deliver that ration every time.
Thanks for dropping by at the Pacific Agriculture Show! Learn more at
JAYLOR.COM/5000
The trick to feeding cattle is to provide a consistent mix so each cow gets the same ration. We at Jaylor have accomplished that with our patended square cut auger. All mixers can mix but Jaylor does it consistently along the whole length of the bunk. Check it out!
Nic Barker | Western Canada Territory Manager Cell: 403:393-9864 email:
nbarker@jaylor.com
Bert Slomp | Western Canada Territory Manager Cell: 403.331.1150 Fax: 403.381.4508
bslomp@jaylor.com
The trick to feeding cattle is to provide a consistent mix so each cow gets the same ration. We at Jaylor have accomplished that with our patented square cut auger. All mixers can mix but Jaylor does it consistently along the whole length of the bunk. Check it out!
www.JAYLOR.com DEALER LOCATIONS:
AVENUE MACHINERY | 1521 Sumas Way, Abbotsford | 888-283-3276 AVENUE MACHINERY | 7155 Meadowlark Rd, Vernon | 800-551-6411
AVENUE MACHINERY | 1521 Sumas Way, Box 369, Abbotsford, BC V2T 6Z6 | 888-283-3276 AVENUE MACHINERY | 7155 Meadowlark Road, Vernon, BC V1B 3B6 | 800-551-6411 ISLAND TRACTOR & SUPPLY | 4650 Trans Canada Highway, Duncan, BC V9L 6L2 | 888-795-1755
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
