Why Buy your Beef Local?
Moving cattle along Trout Creek, Porcupine Hills
Good for your family, the environment, food security and your community!
Many of us have long understood the importance of sourcing our food locally. Not only does it create much-needed local jobs, but it also generates economic advantages by recirculating more funds and jobs back into our economy. It reduces our environmental footprint by decreasing fuel and emissions. By supporting small family businesses we can lessen demand for mass industrialized agriculture. Finally, local regeneratively produced agriculture products have a higher nutritional value.
Pandemic resulted in increased beef sales, but this increased profit didn’t pass to the producers
When the pandemic hit beef processing facilities faced closures due to outbreaks . This caused consumers to panic purchase and stock up. Supermarkets actually increased prices as demand surged. Unfortunately this increase in both sales and prices did not trickle back to beef producers. In actual fact commodity beef prices fell as producers were forced to hold stock longer until processing facilities opened up.
Fact: CANFAX, (a Canadian agriculture industry price and supply analytical group) reported provincial commodity beef prices averaging 15% of retail. That is the rancher’s revenue was 15% of the price you paid for beef in the primarily foreign owned supermarkets. This was down from 17% in the two previous years.
This clearly threatens the existence of our local family ranches. These businesses are not only a family's livelihood and legacy, but they also protect our environment. Grasslands naturally absorb C02 through photosynthesis, and sustainably grazed animals actually increase this through nutrient circulation. When grasslands are cultivated or developed a significant portion of soil carbon oxidizes and releases CO2 back into the environment. With this wildlife habitat and native plant species are eliminated. Forever.
Food security — supporting your local source
The positive impact of the pandemic has been the conversations initiated regarding local food security, and as a result more consumers speak to reducing their reliance on the global supply chain. Yet the natural tendencies of the average consumer is still to shop based on convenience and seek perceived lower prices from large multinationals such as Costco and Amazon. Now what percentage of our dollar spent at Amazon goes back to our community? Does that mean we have actually saved money?
It can’t be more clear — NOW is the time to deglobalize!
Small farmers need your support now more than ever
As part of the community of small farmers and ranchers based in Southern Alberta we ask you to consider to support our businesses. We haven’t shifted to working from home during the pandemic. We have still had animals to care for, grassland pastures to steward and crops to manage. Through this we have continued to do our part to ensure local food safety, security and quality.
We are blessed with the local options in Alberta, so let’s increase our support for them! These are the businesses that use local inputs, that make local donations, that support their local communities services. These are the businesses that can make an impact on our local economy! Take advantage of your local Farmer’s Markets, ranch direct sales and community supported agriculture.
At Burke Creek Ranch, we raise top quality grass fed and finished beef. We have the opportunity to market frozen beef that will not perish. Our product is raised seasonally, driven by nature. Therefore we encourage you to forecast your family’s annual beef requirements and purchase in bulk from us. This is one more way to reduce fuel usage, allows us to forecast our beef demand and secure timely butcher dates. These bulk purchases result in significant savings to you the consumer. With doorstep delivery or centralized pickup, this continues to be the safest and most convenient shopping option. If you are consuming your beef in Calgary or south to Claresholm you are truly participating in the less than 100 mile diet!
Thank you for supporting local. Please share this message with your friends and family.