gcreekrch
Well-known member
A neighbor of ours wrote this piece concerning Earl's Restaurant's decision to use "Certified Humane" as a selling point for their meals containing beef.
Originally I was just going to post this as a reply to some comments regarding a post I made about boycotting Earls restaurant. (I am boycotting Earls as they have decided to source their beef in the USA rather than Canada). However, I support our fellow beef producers and feedlots so I might as well share this with everyone. My other half as many of you know is Clint Ellis. He is the largest cattle broker in BC, and supplies many of the Alberta feedlots with cattle to fatten for beef. He purchases cattle from ranchers on behalf of/or for the feedlots. Clint is proud to support Canadian beef as am I. We also own and operate a 1000 cow/calf pair ranch. We are heavily involved in our industry and are proud of that fact. In response to statements that Canadians are basically being forced to go elsewhere to buy beef because the big factory feedlots and packing plants are controlled by temporary foreign workers and have monopolized the beef industry here in Canada, which in turn leads to the product that goes 'in' to these businesses not coming 'out' as high of quality as it once was...... Below is my response.
There aren't many 'big factory feedlots' in Alberta. The majority of the large feedlots are family owned and operated and have been so for generations in most cases. Clint brokers a lot of feeder cattle into these feedlots so I am aware who owns and operates the large feedlots. He deals with those families and their operations on a daily basis and is on a first name basis with them. Part of the problem with our society nowadays is that the consumer is so out of touch with what is happening. It would be safe to say that close to 95% of the feedlots in Alberta are family owned. The feedlots in Alberta are large employers to many Canadians. Canada raises and sells some of the best beef in the world. We also have one of the best trace back systems for our beef with the CFIA (Canadian food inspection agency) and the CCIA (Canadian cattle identification agency). Our trace back system is far superior to the USA's, being that we actually have one and the United States doesn't. So why does Earls think that it's better to source their beef from the USA? The place they are sourcing their 'certified humane beef' from is Creekstone Farms in Kansas. At first look you may think that it is a great place from their website, but if you do your research you will find that Creekstone Farms is actually owned by Sun Capital Partners. Sun Capital Partners is an investment firm. Their description from their own Twitter is: "Sun Capital Partners is a leading private investment firm focused on leveraged buyouts, private equity, debt and other investments in market leading companies." Better yet, on Creekstone Farms' website they state that they support local farms by sourcing all of their beef in the USA, not Canada or Mexico, and that ensures that their beef has met their strict standards. So why as Canadians should we be ok with supporting the importation of American beef into our restaurants when the USA does not have a National beef traceability program and we can not be sure exactly where it has come from? (For the record I support American beef producers and have many American beef producer colleagues; I just don't support importing American beef for Canadian restaurant use when we have Canadian raised beef available and we know exactly where it is sourced from). l would guarantee you that there is more to Earls sourcing their beef from Creekstone Farms in Kansas than their claim that it is the only place they can find that much 'certified humane' beef. I would bet it has a lot to do with sheer economics. Plain old dollars and cents. Furthermore, ranchers and feedlots alike follow the Canadian Beef Code of Practices which is eerily similar to the practices set out in Earls recommendations to be certified humane. I get that there are a few bad feedlots and ranchers in our industry but there are very, very few, and the rest of us completely support getting rid of these few bad apples. However, these bad examples are so uncommon that there is absolutely no reason that Earls would need to base their beef purchasing decisions around them. Nearly all Canadian beef is raised humanely. We all must follow proper practices. I get sick of hearing about 'antibiotic free' beef. All beef is antibiotic free when it is slaughtered or it is not allowed to be slaughtered. If an animal is given an antibiotic, there is a withdrawal time set by the government and those withdrawal times are followed. Beef gets tested to make sure of that fact. And yes we give our beef antibiotics when they are sick. I for one, do not believe in animals suffering. Just like most people take their child to the doctor when they are sick! We do the same for our cattle ensuring their health and well being. People think it is inhumane to let a child drown in their own fluid with pneumonia but some of those people think that it's ok for cattle to because they should be antibiotic free?! That is not humane to me; it is cruel and wrong. As I previously stated, animal welfare is super important to us as beef producers. We would do anything for our cattle. None of us like having a sick animal. Feedlots and ranchers are passionate about their animals no matter how big or small their operation is. Our high quality beef that gets sold to the feedlots goes in as high quality and it comes out as high quality. Animals that are properly vaccinated against disease and raised in a herd with a full herd health program have a low chance of getting sick in the feedlot, thus greatly reducing the chance of ever getting antibiotics before slaughter. But, like I've already stated, even if they do receive antibiotics, it is long gone from their system before they are ever sent to the packing plant to be slaughtered. We have so many regulations and requirements we have to meet and we are proud to do so. We have an Environmental Farm Plan, we have WCB for our workers, we have Verified Beef Production training, we follow the Canadian Code of Beef Practices, we use low stress cattle handling techniques and we stay up on the technology regarding this industry and are always open to learning better ways of raising and producing top quality beef. It goes on and on. We raise our beef humanely and we work hard to treat our employees and our cattle the very best we can and be great stewards of the land to preserve it for the future generations. To touch on the issue of the 'factory packing plants' in Canada who employ a large amount of temporary foreign workers; yes they do! I will tell you why that is necessary whether you like hearing it or not. The people who go to restaurants and buy their 8oz New York or strip loin steak want value. They want the best product possible for an affordable price. Consumers would not be able to pay the amount for that same steak if there were no temporary foreign workers employed in the packing plants or if our cost of production in the Ranching and feedlot sectors were even higher than it already is. Most Canadians are probably not willing or even financially able to work in the packing plants for the wages that would be required to produce a steak on a plate in a restaurant that keeps the consumers happy with the price. Our overhead costs in the Ranching and feedlot industries are already astronomical; like most industries now competing on the global stage, efficiency and low cost of production is king. Why are consumers shopping at Winners, Walmart, Costco,et al? It's the same for us trying to make everything balance in a large operation, just the same as it is with people trying to do the same in their personal household. It's hard! Everyone wants something for a very affordable price and of the best quality but no one wants to pay for it, and in most cases even if they were willing to pay more, they can't afford to. Yes, most of our BC beef is sourced to Alberta feedlots and packing plants. The cost of production in Alberta is a lot less with all of their grain growing capabilities, and their transportation infrastructure. Alberta and BC have the same standards of raising their beef and we are proud to sell our beef to some of the finest feedlots in the world here in Canada. Those feedlots are family owned, pillars of their communities, excellent employers with high standards and top notch care of their cattle. Consumers forget that ranchers and feedlots don't just make piles of money; our livelihoods depend on so many different variables such as: the Canadian dollar, the world market, the weather, crop harvest, the consumer, the state of world affairs, etc...I could go on forever. But ask any rancher or feedlot owner and there is one thing they all know. We get out what we put in. So basically, the more care and value we put into our animals, the harder our cattle work for us and help us put food in our mouths and a roof over our heads. So no Earls, I will not be lining your pockets by supporting your restaurants because you have let all of us ranchers and feedlots down. How can you expect us to support you when you have turned your back on us?!! Business is business as you have shown us, and that's true so I will be taking mine elsewhere when it comes to dining out.
This is my opinion only and may not reflect Clint's opinion or any of our valued feedlot customers'. If you have a problem with my opinion, that's perfectly okay but know it is my opinion only.
Originally I was just going to post this as a reply to some comments regarding a post I made about boycotting Earls restaurant. (I am boycotting Earls as they have decided to source their beef in the USA rather than Canada). However, I support our fellow beef producers and feedlots so I might as well share this with everyone. My other half as many of you know is Clint Ellis. He is the largest cattle broker in BC, and supplies many of the Alberta feedlots with cattle to fatten for beef. He purchases cattle from ranchers on behalf of/or for the feedlots. Clint is proud to support Canadian beef as am I. We also own and operate a 1000 cow/calf pair ranch. We are heavily involved in our industry and are proud of that fact. In response to statements that Canadians are basically being forced to go elsewhere to buy beef because the big factory feedlots and packing plants are controlled by temporary foreign workers and have monopolized the beef industry here in Canada, which in turn leads to the product that goes 'in' to these businesses not coming 'out' as high of quality as it once was...... Below is my response.
There aren't many 'big factory feedlots' in Alberta. The majority of the large feedlots are family owned and operated and have been so for generations in most cases. Clint brokers a lot of feeder cattle into these feedlots so I am aware who owns and operates the large feedlots. He deals with those families and their operations on a daily basis and is on a first name basis with them. Part of the problem with our society nowadays is that the consumer is so out of touch with what is happening. It would be safe to say that close to 95% of the feedlots in Alberta are family owned. The feedlots in Alberta are large employers to many Canadians. Canada raises and sells some of the best beef in the world. We also have one of the best trace back systems for our beef with the CFIA (Canadian food inspection agency) and the CCIA (Canadian cattle identification agency). Our trace back system is far superior to the USA's, being that we actually have one and the United States doesn't. So why does Earls think that it's better to source their beef from the USA? The place they are sourcing their 'certified humane beef' from is Creekstone Farms in Kansas. At first look you may think that it is a great place from their website, but if you do your research you will find that Creekstone Farms is actually owned by Sun Capital Partners. Sun Capital Partners is an investment firm. Their description from their own Twitter is: "Sun Capital Partners is a leading private investment firm focused on leveraged buyouts, private equity, debt and other investments in market leading companies." Better yet, on Creekstone Farms' website they state that they support local farms by sourcing all of their beef in the USA, not Canada or Mexico, and that ensures that their beef has met their strict standards. So why as Canadians should we be ok with supporting the importation of American beef into our restaurants when the USA does not have a National beef traceability program and we can not be sure exactly where it has come from? (For the record I support American beef producers and have many American beef producer colleagues; I just don't support importing American beef for Canadian restaurant use when we have Canadian raised beef available and we know exactly where it is sourced from). l would guarantee you that there is more to Earls sourcing their beef from Creekstone Farms in Kansas than their claim that it is the only place they can find that much 'certified humane' beef. I would bet it has a lot to do with sheer economics. Plain old dollars and cents. Furthermore, ranchers and feedlots alike follow the Canadian Beef Code of Practices which is eerily similar to the practices set out in Earls recommendations to be certified humane. I get that there are a few bad feedlots and ranchers in our industry but there are very, very few, and the rest of us completely support getting rid of these few bad apples. However, these bad examples are so uncommon that there is absolutely no reason that Earls would need to base their beef purchasing decisions around them. Nearly all Canadian beef is raised humanely. We all must follow proper practices. I get sick of hearing about 'antibiotic free' beef. All beef is antibiotic free when it is slaughtered or it is not allowed to be slaughtered. If an animal is given an antibiotic, there is a withdrawal time set by the government and those withdrawal times are followed. Beef gets tested to make sure of that fact. And yes we give our beef antibiotics when they are sick. I for one, do not believe in animals suffering. Just like most people take their child to the doctor when they are sick! We do the same for our cattle ensuring their health and well being. People think it is inhumane to let a child drown in their own fluid with pneumonia but some of those people think that it's ok for cattle to because they should be antibiotic free?! That is not humane to me; it is cruel and wrong. As I previously stated, animal welfare is super important to us as beef producers. We would do anything for our cattle. None of us like having a sick animal. Feedlots and ranchers are passionate about their animals no matter how big or small their operation is. Our high quality beef that gets sold to the feedlots goes in as high quality and it comes out as high quality. Animals that are properly vaccinated against disease and raised in a herd with a full herd health program have a low chance of getting sick in the feedlot, thus greatly reducing the chance of ever getting antibiotics before slaughter. But, like I've already stated, even if they do receive antibiotics, it is long gone from their system before they are ever sent to the packing plant to be slaughtered. We have so many regulations and requirements we have to meet and we are proud to do so. We have an Environmental Farm Plan, we have WCB for our workers, we have Verified Beef Production training, we follow the Canadian Code of Beef Practices, we use low stress cattle handling techniques and we stay up on the technology regarding this industry and are always open to learning better ways of raising and producing top quality beef. It goes on and on. We raise our beef humanely and we work hard to treat our employees and our cattle the very best we can and be great stewards of the land to preserve it for the future generations. To touch on the issue of the 'factory packing plants' in Canada who employ a large amount of temporary foreign workers; yes they do! I will tell you why that is necessary whether you like hearing it or not. The people who go to restaurants and buy their 8oz New York or strip loin steak want value. They want the best product possible for an affordable price. Consumers would not be able to pay the amount for that same steak if there were no temporary foreign workers employed in the packing plants or if our cost of production in the Ranching and feedlot sectors were even higher than it already is. Most Canadians are probably not willing or even financially able to work in the packing plants for the wages that would be required to produce a steak on a plate in a restaurant that keeps the consumers happy with the price. Our overhead costs in the Ranching and feedlot industries are already astronomical; like most industries now competing on the global stage, efficiency and low cost of production is king. Why are consumers shopping at Winners, Walmart, Costco,et al? It's the same for us trying to make everything balance in a large operation, just the same as it is with people trying to do the same in their personal household. It's hard! Everyone wants something for a very affordable price and of the best quality but no one wants to pay for it, and in most cases even if they were willing to pay more, they can't afford to. Yes, most of our BC beef is sourced to Alberta feedlots and packing plants. The cost of production in Alberta is a lot less with all of their grain growing capabilities, and their transportation infrastructure. Alberta and BC have the same standards of raising their beef and we are proud to sell our beef to some of the finest feedlots in the world here in Canada. Those feedlots are family owned, pillars of their communities, excellent employers with high standards and top notch care of their cattle. Consumers forget that ranchers and feedlots don't just make piles of money; our livelihoods depend on so many different variables such as: the Canadian dollar, the world market, the weather, crop harvest, the consumer, the state of world affairs, etc...I could go on forever. But ask any rancher or feedlot owner and there is one thing they all know. We get out what we put in. So basically, the more care and value we put into our animals, the harder our cattle work for us and help us put food in our mouths and a roof over our heads. So no Earls, I will not be lining your pockets by supporting your restaurants because you have let all of us ranchers and feedlots down. How can you expect us to support you when you have turned your back on us?!! Business is business as you have shown us, and that's true so I will be taking mine elsewhere when it comes to dining out.
This is my opinion only and may not reflect Clint's opinion or any of our valued feedlot customers'. If you have a problem with my opinion, that's perfectly okay but know it is my opinion only.
