Volume 14 Issue 2 September 2015 What’s Inside Kara and Darold Enright — Ontario Farm Couple Carve Out A Direct Wholesale Beef Market
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From the Gate Post The Canadian Simmental Convention – A Huge Success
8
Consider Crossbreeding for Commercial Beef Production
22
Pinkeye and Related Eye Problems in Cattle
30
CSA Survey
32
What’s Happening
57
Publication Mail Agreement # 40012794
Kara and Darold Enright Ontario Farm Couple Carve Out A Direct Wholesale Beef Market
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Story By Lee Hart
t was a planning decision that Kara and Darold Enright made about five years ago when they seriously looked at their Eastern Ontario beef farm — they either had to turn their farm into a profitable operation or get out of agriculture altogether. In 2010 the Canadian cattle industry was still struggling as a result of low prices following the BSE crisis of a few years earlier. Kara and Darold only had a few head of purebred Simmental cattle and were both working off-farm in order to keep the farm afloat. They both decided that something had to change and as a result of the business plan which they developed, the Enrights stepped into the world of direct marketing of beef. It’s been a steep learning curve over the last five years that has involved a lot of work and covered a lot of miles and today Enright Cattle Company is a successful direct beef supplier to roughly 40 restaurants and dozens of individual consumers from Ottawa to Toronto. As a result of this success, their business is growing, they have increased their cattle numbers and the business supports Kara as a full time owner/employee. If the next five-years of their business plan is successful they will bring Darold full time into the venture as well.
GET SERIOUS OR GO HOME
“We both grew up on farms and loved agriculture,” says Kara. “But in those first few years before we got into direct marketing we were working like crazy and not really getting anywhere. We were both working very hard with off farm jobs to keep the farm going. We had to make a decision about whether there was some way we could make it profitable, or downsize and just keep a few head of cattle as a hobby.” The Enright’s farm is near Tweed, Ontario north of Kingston and both Kara and Darold grew up on farms near where they farm today. They bought the farm which they now operate under Enright Cattle Company in 2004 — a year after the BSE crisis and started farming with a few head of beef cattle. Kara had been involved with cattle since she bought her first heifer at the Royal Winter Fair when she was 13. “Like a lot of people we knew the BSE crisis was bad but believed that things would turn around,” says Kara “but it was slow in coming. We were running about 30 head of cattle which wasn’t enough.” Neither Kara or Darold had any previous direct marketing experience. Kara’s parents, Don and Chris Langevin who farm nearby, had a beef finishing feed-yard as part of their farming operation and with that asset they decided to give direct marketing a try. They started by attending two farmers’ markets — one in Kingston and one in Toronto. They bought proper coolers and display cases and went out to meet the public. “Attending those farmers’ markets allowed us to get a grasp on the direct marketing business,” says Kara. “We began to learn about beef products and cuts of beef; and most importantly what consumers want in a beef cut and what they are interested in relating to how that beef is produced. We found they also wanted information on how to cook beef.”
THE WHOLESALE CONNECTION
While the farmers’ markets were a relatively low volume/high mark up experience leading into the direct marketing business, it helped Enright Cattle Company connect with the next opportunity— chefs looking for a quality product for their restaurants. Restaurant chefs coming to the Farmers’ Market looking for fresh, high quality, locally produced beef, enabled the Enrights to connect with the wholesale side of the business. “We started with a few restaurants
Commercial Country
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