Reading Time: 2 minutes New meat vending machine, dubbed the "E Butchery on Main" from Manitoba's Nerbas Bros. Angus lets consumers buy their meat in portion sizes they want, when they want it, direct from farmers.
A new kind of direct marketing: the meat vending machine
New meat vending machine business lets consumers buy their meat in portion sizes they want, when they want it, direct from farmers
Sustainability means a lot of things on this Alberta farm
Reading Time: 4 minutes Sustainable ag has been a popular term for many years but on Blue Ridge Farms, it goes beyond just farming practices. “We have four kids who will hopefully take it over, or whoever takes it over next, we want to pass it over in really good condition,” said Jillian Byers who farms with husband Brett […] Read more
No ivory tower approach to this unique partnership with farmers
Reading Time: 4 minutes Normally when you need help on the farm, you need the workers to know something about farming and to be physically present. But for some members of the Food Artisans of Camrose County, having some city kids working virtually was no problem at all. Nearly four dozen students from the University of Alberta’s Augustana campus […] Read more
Pandemic has seen business — and challenges — soar for U-picks
Reading Time: 3 minutes U-pick operations across the country have seen a surge in business this year as people look for family-friendly, safe outings during the pandemic. But the season was not without its challenges. “The business has been busy,” said Leona Staples, who owns and operates The Jungle Farm near Red Deer with husband Blaine. Busy is good, […] Read more
Demand soars as consumers find new appreciation for local food
Consumers are stocking up these days and increasingly looking towards local food producers
Reading Time: 3 minutes Demand for local food products has exploded in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. “We’ve seen a very big spike in interest and demand for our products,” said Steph Campbell, who owns and operates Grazed Right, a grass-fed beef company, with husband Ben near Calgary. “People are panic buying, and that’s spilling over into the […] Read more
Couple weren’t millionaires — so they found a different way to farm
It’s not for everyone, says Ben Campbell, but direct marketing is a low-cost route to farming
Reading Time: 3 minutes Although Ben Campbell is a third-generation rancher, he didn’t have an operation he could take over. And when he looked at the math for starting his own ranch, it was worse than ugly — he figured he’d need $3 million in assets to generate an income of $50,000. “I didn’t have enough money to do […] Read more
You can direct market grain, too — but it’s more complicated
Mark Gibeau sells flour to bakers and chefs while selling direct helped Steven Snider get started
Reading Time: 4 minutes Mark Gibeau wouldn’t be a farmer today if he couldn’t direct market his grains. “Having small acres in the big-boy system doesn’t work,” said the owner of Heritage Harvest near Strathmore. “We had to find something different right from the get-go.” Gibeau, who farms with his wife, began growing certified organic heritage grains on his […] Read more
Better together: Innisfail Growers is a testament to teamwork
The five farm families in the group have been successfully selling direct for more than 25 years
Reading Time: 4 minutes Beck Farms took an unorthodox approach to getting into the wholesale market when it was starting out in the mid-1980s — by selling directly to consumers. “We actually went to a few small farmers’ markets and had people try our carrots,” said Shelley Bradshaw, who owns Beck Farms with husband Rod. “We would say, ‘If […] Read more
Shop local trend has changed the game at the Jungle Farm
Leona and Blaine Staples have continually diversified their farm to capitalize on changing consumer shopping trends
Reading Time: 3 minutes Leona and Blaine Staples produce a bit of a different kind of commodity on their operation near Penhold. “We really farm people,” said Leona Staples, who has been running the Jungle Farm with husband Blaine since 1996. “One of the passions in our life is sharing our farm with the rest of the world. We […] Read more
Top farm direct-marketing conference comes to B.C.
Reading Time: < 1 minute The continent’s top farm direct-marketing event is coming to Canada for just the fourth time in its 31-year history. The North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association convention runs from Jan. 31 to Feb. 5 in Vancouver and Abbotsford. It attracts about 1,000 attendees and more than 40 per cent of event participants said their farm […] Read more
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