Agriculture
Meat-subscription-box companies take over marketing chores for farmers
VANCOUVER — While working door-to-door pitching deals for a year’s worth of frozen meat, Marc Lafleur realized consumers want quality, local meat, but can’t afford the freezer space or the cash to do it.
He co-founded TruLocal, one of many meat-subscription-box companies to start delivering in Canada in recent years to feed consumer cravings for local, ethically raised meat without logistical hassles. They also solve problems for the farmers who no longer have to worry about finding customers and stand to make more money.
“We pretty much started off … in a garage. We had a couple of chest freezers,” said Lafleur, CEO of Kitchener, Ont.-based TruLocal, who co-founded the company in 2016 with an initial offering of four products and only 30 customers.
The company now boasts several employees, ships to three provinces and offers dozens of different cuts of meat, including beef liver, turkey thighs and buffalo sausage.
Lafleur attributes the rapid growth to customers’ desire to understand where their meat comes from. When the company surveyed customers about what matters to them when purchasing meat, their No. 1 demand was transparency.
“They wanted to have as much information as possible about where their products were coming from,” he said.
The convenience factor doesn’t hurt either.
A small box of meat costs less and is easier to store than the full-year supply Lafleur peddled previously. In cities, many people live in small spaces — with some micro-condos even doing away with ovens — and don’t have the space for a chest freezer. It can also be easier to afford a monthly payment than an annual lump sum, he said.
Before subscription-box companies emerged, only the most motivated city dwellers could find a farmer to purchase meat from.
Victor Straatman, who co-founded Meatme in 2006, recalls trying to do just that when he moved to Vancouver from the Netherlands, where he was able to purchase local meat online. He couldn’t find a similar system in Canada and eventually found a farmer who agreed to drive six hours to meet him in a parking lot in the city to sell him some meat.
“I felt like thrown back like 10 years or 15 years in the internet age,” he said.
City dwellers can also go to a local butcher to purchase local, ethically raised cuts.
But increasingly, Canadians expect to be able to order their food — and most anything else they need — online. Canada’s major grocers spent the past few years implementing and quickly expanding their e-commerce offerings, and subscription box companies offer that same benefit to time-strapped home cooks.
In order to succeed, though, these companies also had to offer an incentive for farmers to work with them.
Vancouver-based Meatme works with about seven farmers.
“They basically can focus on what they like to focus on, (which) is raise their animals,” said Straatman. “And then we actually deal with the rest — so the whole butchering process, and all the logistics to get their product to people’s door.”
Dave Semmelink knows he must sell the meat of the livestock he raises on his more than 40-hectare farm on Vancouver Island, but he hates that part of his job. The introvert prefers to spend his time among his pigs, chickens and lambs, plus he finds it difficult to put on a sales hat after 14-hour days of manual labour and admits he lacks the skills to build and manage a website.
For several years, he attempted to sell his meat online to customers in the Lower Mainland. But he stopped travelling to Vancouver last year for deliveries because of complicated logistics and the cost of the ferry.
He started working with Meatme a few months ago and, so far, “it’s been amazing” in no small part because the company took over promoting his products, connecting him with customers and relieving the nightmare of shipping logistics.
It also pays better than selling his meat to packing houses via auction, which he said would offer him a quarter of what Meatme pays. In that scenario, Semmelink says, “I couldn’t make a living.”
Farmers who sell meat through conventional methods tend to earn about 16 cents on every $1 at retail, said Luke Armstrong, who co-founded Niku Farms, a Toronto-based meat-subscription-box company.
Under his company’s model, they earn at least three times that, he said, partly because the company strives to purchase as much of one animal as possible rather than just a few cuts.
At farmers’ markets or restaurants — both alternative sales outlets — buyers tend to want one or just a few specific cuts, meaning it can be hard to find a buyer for remaining chunks of the animal.
Farmers and shoppers appear to be buying into the new model.
“It’s been incredible growth,” said Armstrong. The company started with one farm supplying it, and now boasts seven and is bringing on several more to satisfy consumer demand.
One farmer Niku Farms works with initially supplied five boxes a week to the company, but now they’re ordering much more from him. He’s currently on track to produce 10 times more beef than last year and almost 300 times more chicken, said Armstrong.
Semmelink started out selling four pigs a month to Meatme, but they plan to increase that to 20 hogs in the future.
“I’d love to grow with them as they grow, and I have the capacity to supply them with as much as they want.”
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Aleksandra Sagan, The Canadian Press
Why Canadians Should Care About Land Loss
Developments are increasingly taking over Canadian farmland. Farms once took up much of Canadian land. However, that case is not true today. Only about 5% of Canada’s land is considered prime farmland. This prime land borders one of Canada’s fastest-growing regions, and once suburban development overtakes it, Canadian farmers will have a challenging time providing food for the cities.
Farmers in Canada make their livelihood by planting, growing, harvesting and distributing food to the Canadian populations. Without land, both farmers and the rest of those living in Canada will not get fresh, Canadian grown produce.
Here are some reasons why Canadian farmers should care about land loss:
- Farmland Provides Food
While this is an apparent reason, it’s an essential one. Prime farmland in Canada produces food for major Canadian cities. As farmers continue to lose land, they have to rely on a smaller acreage to make the same amount of food — if not more — for the growing population.
Over the past 10 years, almost 1 million hectares of agricultural land has diminished due to development and growing populations. Agriculture continues to adapt to land loss. However, further technological advancements must first take place to grow enough produce vertically rather than horizontally.
- Land Preservation Will Help the Economy
Farmland preservations come with a wealth of economic benefits. Agriculture contributes to the economy through the following ways:
- Sales: For the economy to survive, there needs to be consumer demands and sales. Almost everyone purchases produce, so there will always be a demand for those goods. Without land to grow agricultural products, no sales will be made, and the economy could suffer.
- Job opportunities: Less than 2% of Canada’s population works in the agriculture industry. While it’s not much, that’s still over 750,000 people. Preserving farmland shows a commitment to the industry. Land loss would create job loss. However, maintaining the farmland — and even reclaiming it, along with pastures — could boost the sector and, therefore, the economy. It would provide unemployed people with job security.
- Secondary markets: Farmers are just one part of the food business. Because of farmers and farmland, secondary markets can thrive. These would include processing businesses, restaurants, schools, grocery stores and even waste management companies.
Canadian farmers should care about land loss because standing back and allowing companies to overtake the farmland could seriously affect the economy.
- Farmland Benefits the Environment
Wildlife often depends upon farmland for both food and habitat. Various types of farmland create diverse habitats for many different species. Without land protection, these habitats and food sources would be destroyed, leaving many animals without a place to survive. Many would have difficulty finding a native habitat.
Additionally, growing crops helps eliminate some of the carbon dioxide released into the air. Air pollution could decrease for Canadian cities as long as no more farmland is used for development.
One major problem occurring with Canadian farmland is desertification. This happens when the soil loses nutrients and becomes barren. The urbanization of Canadian farmland is the primary contributor to desertification, which speeds up climate change and harms the environment. Keeping farmland as-is will slow down climate change.
- Land Loss Affects Farmers’ Jobs
Perhaps the main reason why Canadian farmers should care about land loss is because their livelihood could be taken away. If they don’t have the means to keep up with technological advancements in the agricultural industry, they will not be able to continue their jobs if they experience land loss.
Agriculture is an essential industry. Not everyone can pick up the skills needed to grow their own food, and so many people depend upon farmers for nutrition and goods.
Take a Stand to Preserve Farmland
Farmland is a worthwhile and precious resource for many people. Reduction in farmland acreage will hurt Canadian farmers and the rest of the population, the economy and the environment. Taking steps to prevent more land loss can slow the rates of destruction and keep natural habitats thriving for both humans and animalls.
Click here read more stories by Emily Folk.
I’m Emily Folk, and I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. Growing up I had a love of animals, and after countless marathons of watching Animal Planet documentaries, I developed a passion for ecology and conservation.
Canadian Agriculture More Energy Intensive, More Efficient
It’s no secret that agriculture has contributed to climate change through various means. For example, you may know that livestock generates greenhouse gas emissions due to how farms process it. That said, it’s now clear that farmers have found sustainable ways to offset those contributions. In Canada, it’s all about energy use.
Here’s how Canadian farmers have become more efficient as they raise crops and livestock, setting a standard the world should follow.
Energy Demand and Consumption Have Fluctuated
The demand for energy has increased across the agricultural sector as a whole. However, it’s key to note that farmers have begun to use less energy despite that fact. That points to more efficient practices. The farmers who complete their work productively save time, money and energy. As a result, Canadian workers have reduced their energy consumption per dollar by 17%. That’s thanks to sustainability.
The most common energy sources include fuel, gas and electricity. It’s how farmers use those resources that counts. Combined with technology choices and new practices, it’s clear that efficiency is more achievable than ever.
What Contributes to This Phenomenon?
It’s crucial for people in agriculture to explore eco-friendly alternatives. The grasslands that many western Canadian farmers cultivate contains excess carbon, so you can imagine what the country as a whole holds underneath its surface. Farmers have now adopted new methods to adjust how they harvest their crops. These systems are better for production, as well as soil and seed health overall.
The agriculture industry has gone through many changes, too. There are fewer farms — but those that still operate have employed agricultural technology to be as efficient as possible. These tools include different equipment that cuts down on time to increase proficiency. Plus, it’s now more common to use solar power as an alternative to traditional energy solutions.
Why Accuracy and Precision Matters
It’s a lot easier to be energy efficient when you don’t waste your resources. The means farmers practiced before they used specific innovations often created a time deficit. If you have a smaller machine, you likely need to do twice as much work. However, when you have access to equipment that fits your field, you don’t have to be as wasteful. The accuracy and precision created by technology make this a reality.
Soil Conservation Is Led by Ranchers
Many farmers have looked to ranchers for help. It’s a native part of ranching to preserve topsoil and other elements that are inherently sustainable. As a result, it seems like ranchers have been leading the charge against climate change for decades. The tactics they use to avoid tilling soil, for example, help preserve the amount of carbon that lies underneath the Earth’s surface.
The “no-till” practice is efficient in its own right. Rather than till your soil to plant a new crop, you simply leave behind what’s already there. This method is much better for soil nutrition, and it can keep carbon exposure at bay. As a result, you have much fewer carbon emissions. In general, the idea of soil conservation isn’t a new one, but old tricks can still work alongside modern technology.
The Future of Agriculture in Canada Looks Bright
If farmers continue on this path, it’ll be clear that climate solutions are at the forefront of their minds. These efforts create more benefits for them as they save time and money. Plus, there’s always the responsibility of maintaining the planet’s health. After all, without a strong ecosystem, agriculture would suffer. Through means that are more accurate and conservative, Canadian farmers have been able to become more efficient. Click here read more stories by Emily Folk.
I’m Emily Folk, and I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. Growing up I had a love of animals, and after countless marathons of watching Animal Planet documentaries, I developed a passion for ecology and conservation.
