Wal-Mart beef

[Robertbarlage]

There getting rid of Tyson and Cargil . Going to get straight from the rancher . Good or bad ?

[grassfarmer]

Don't see it making much difference to the rancher whether Walmart buys feedlot cattle from Tyson or ones they own themselves. Not going to introduce any competition into the marketplace, no need to pay any premiums that get back to the rancher.

[biglentil]

There beef is always weird, roasts that are reconstituted.

[malleefarmer]

Pardon my ignorance or lack of vision but when i was in western canada montana and SD in various small towns large cities calgary stoon and regina plus lots of small towns plenvna plentwood baker taber rolling hills turner valley dawsons creek cache creek i never once saw a butchers shop, selling fresh beef lamb pork chciken his own sausages hamburger etc etc

Every town in australia over say 600/700 still has a family run butcher shop.

I cant recall seeing one. REd tape rules and regulations perhaps or i didnt look hard enough.

[the big wheel]

It’s like everything else in Canada our cost to do business is so high you need to do lots of volume small margin. We have no politicians wanting to or even understanding that we have created the big corporate or big union situation.
There are a few that are still going but having difficulty some surviving just like farmers in the wealth they made in the past everything paid for long time ago the minute they have to rebuild etc they shut down.

[grassfarmer]

Mallee, you're right that struck me when I first moved to Canada too. Simply don't have butchers shops the way you do or we had in Europe. It seems they went straight from killing/butchering at home to supermarket purchasing. To clarify for Big Wheel this isn't talking about small town custom kill slaughter plants it's talking about a retail butcher shop selling meat in the way a bakery sells bread. My local town in Scotland with 2000 population still has 4 butcher shops in addition to 2 supermarkets that also sell meat but that would be more butcher shops than average.

[binthere]

Many gone off the grid to level the playing field against government subsidies. The others well just vanished.

[Templeboy]

There are quite a few rural abattoirs, they provide full service. The population just doesnt support a butcher shop in every town now. Townies dont buy things like rural folks do either, we keep a half of beef, half of pork though the winter (maybe as much tradition as logistics.) We havent been storm stayed for more than a couple days in many years, but it used to happen often.

[chuckChuck]

A generation or two ago many small towns had a butcher and a baker. Now they are mostly gone. Everything is getting Walmarted. Unless you are mega operation or in a retail niche that works, your days are numbered. The same thing is happening to agriculture and food in North America. That is why many consumers are willing to pay for local and higher quality where they might get to know and support a local farm.

[shtferbrains]

A little off topic but we farm gated some sides and whole beef at times and it surprised me how many went to 60+ aged parents who supplied their kids and grand kids. Many comments about getting good beef and not that crap you buy in the store.

On the Wal-mart deal I wonder how they will manage all carcass parts they don't sell retail.

Seasonal demand for different cuts also a big deal.

Looks like a Harris Ranch clone by 44 Angus.

https://www.44farms.com/about/our-history/

The Wal-Mart program shows up under the feeder calf buy back on their website.

https://harrisranchbeef.com/

Not like selling chickens where the whole bird can go in a bag.

[Sheepwheat]

Quite a few butcher shops around here. I thought no it is like a erythng rural. Simply that many young ones do not make the choice to stick around and do the hard work. The ones I deal with are doing VERY well.

[malleefarmer]

A generation or two ago many small towns had a butcher and a baker. Now they are mostly gone. Everything is getting Walmarted. Unless you are mega operation or in a retail niche that works, your days are numbered. The same thing is happening to agriculture and food in North America. That is why many consumers are willing to pay for local and higher quality where they might get to know and support a local farm.

Yeah forgot bakers chuck hardly saw a one.
98% of town here big or small have a deli/bakery that does home made hamburgers, fish and chips or freis as you call them , hot dogs pies pasties sandwhiches freid chicken pasta etc etc reckon big chains in north america have been death knel burger king macdonalds harbys AW hortons etc etc

[malleefarmer]

Even steaks were in a restuarant chain MR Mikes comes to mind was keg another?? And even pizza shop no corner pizza shop all chain boston pizza pizza hut???etc etc

[Sheepwheat]

Even steaks were in a restuarant chain MR Mikes comes to mind was keg another?? And even pizza shop no corner pizza shop all chain boston pizza pizza hut???etc etc

It is hard to generalize, but there are many, many independent chicken, pizza, Greek, food services, and independent gas bars, and independent fast food places, ice cream shops, and so on around my area.

Lots of these places are in obscure locations and unknown unless you really do some digging.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Post BSE most of the butcher shops and smaller packing plants closed down, As a direct result of the massively increased regulations costs and bureaucratic red tape involved. This was also the death knell for the planned new plants. The local shops Keep trying, usually with different owners every couple years, Mostly Europeans.