from the hip Retailers have become very sensitive to negative perceptions of their products
Reading Time: 3 minutes Marketing a product at retail is much more than just offering great value or a sense of entitlement. It is providing the buyer with an opportunity to relate to the product through the story behind it. To understand what works for retail, especially in beef, we first must appreciate what today’s consumer will not tolerate. […] Read moreWhy what we do is important at retail | part two
Why what we do is important at retail | Part one
Reading Time: 3 minutes It is often hard to relate our work on the farm to the retail sector, but it is important to do so. As every bovine ends up as beef or a beef product at some point in their life, it serves us well to look at all that we do and how that may impact […] Read more
Connecting with sights, tastes, smells and producers of food
From the hip Farmers’ markets have graduated into the mainstream of food distribution
Reading Time: 3 minutes It was a busy day at the Atwater Market. The flowers and bedding plants were hot items for a sunny afternoon in May and the fresh new vegetables had arrived. The colours and smells lifted me — I could not wait to get shopping. I often go to this famous farmers’ market in Montreal, as […] Read moreEvery mile a memory
straight from the hip Neither distance nor language can interfere with the sharing between us
Reading Time: 3 minutes The plane finally landed around 2 a.m. after an eight-hour delay in Ottawa. As there was not much happening in Charlottetown at that time, a few lawyers on the plane offered a ride to the hotel. My luggage however did not arrive and so I spoke to the sole person in the airport to make […] Read moreFood security is a problem, even in Canada’s richest province
From the hip After many Albertans pay for a place to live, there isn’t much left for proper nutrition
Reading Time: 4 minutes When most Canadians think of food insecurity, they likely envision a poor person a world away. And although they may be frustrated when a grocery item is sold out, the reality of food insecurity which is defined as a “lack of access to affordable, adequate food through socially acceptable means” is a little more startling. […] Read moreThe beef industry is losing the image war
From the hip The beef industry needs to sell its product based on health and nutrition
Reading Time: 4 minutes Considering that children now spend only one per cent of their time reading books or magazines, the future shopper will look quite different than you and I. Not only will the children of today be unlikely to read the newspaper, they will be even less concerned about the sales flyer. How do we reach the […] Read moreCalving season needs a business plan
Reading Time: 3 minutes Assessing the risk of disease transfer is year-round work, but it is in the spring that many diseases manifest themselves. Chronic feedlot animals succumb to extreme changes in temperature, calves are exposed to cold and wet and suffer scours and other health issues, people are tired and access control is lax. Silent illness like Johnes […] Read more
Selling Canada’s food into Asia and the Middle East
Reading Time: 3 minutes Asia is often discussed as an overall emerging market for Canadian food. In the Southeast Asia area, there are countries with a growing middle class that are important trading partners. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) represents 10 countries with a population of 600 million. The top ASEAN destinations for Canadian food products are […] Read more
Current beef market prices show signs of “impaired confidence”
Reading Time: 4 minutes I was recently in Toronto as part of Canadian Food Summit, an event put on by the Conference Board of Canada to develop a national food strategy. A conference board event is not complete without senior economist Glen Hodgson. He is as popular in the East as he is in the West and we have […] Read more
The beef industry could use a sense of wonder about the future
From the hip Young leaders listened to advice from veterans, but there’s work to be done
Reading Time: 3 minutes For me, it was yet-another packed plane and one of many this spring but for the little girl across the aisle, this was her first flight. As the plane lifted she sang out “Oh… look! We can fly!” This sense of wonder charmed and captivated the entire group on the plane. It is this awe […] Read moreCyber-Savvy Farmer
