Ontario Corn Fed Beef
“Faith in our members, pride in our product”
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aunched by the Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association in 2001, the Ontario Corn Fed Beef brand was created to expand the market for beef raised in Ontario. The producer-owned program has accomplished this mission, and is now looking to share its success with the rest of the Canadian beef value chain. In their first year, Ontario Corn Fed Beef slaughtered 25 head per week. By 2011, average weekly slaughter had increased exponentially to 2,800. In 2013, slaughter has averaged 5,700 head per week and is on pace to reach almost 300,000 head this year. Ontario feedlots have always bought Western Canadian cattle. But with fewer calves born and raised in their province, Ontario cattle feeders are purchasing more and more feeders from out-of-province. The Ontario feedlot sector is starting to grow; which will further drive the demand for Western Canadian feeder cattle. “Ontario Corn Fed Beef has never been just about Ontario,” says Jim Clark, Executive Director of the Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association. “If the Ontario Corn Fed Beef product does well, so does the entire Canadian beef industry; it all boils down to cooperation. The program is built on strong partnerships with all industry participants – including producers, truckers, auction markets, livestock dealers, packers, retailers and foodservice companies.” “We support the Ontario cow-calf sector and will continue to do so, but high cash crop land values and a reduction in our provincial cow herd have put pressure on our feeder market. Sometimes we forget that being a cow-calf producer is not an easy job – there doesn’t seem to be a lineup of young people wanting to get into cow-calf production. The old saying was ‘the money will run out long before the cattle do’, but times have changed since BSE. The reality is that feeder cattle supplies are running short. We need to continue building on our cow-calf partnerships at home and especially in Western Canada 64 to maintain our commitments for a steady supply
of high-quality Ontario Corn Fed Beef,” Clark adds. The Ontario Corn Fed Beef brand provides consumers with a recognizable logo assuring a consistent, high quality product that is produced in accordance with specific standards. To be eligible, cattle must be fed and processed in Ontario and receive an 80% corn ration. Producers who feed cattle for the brand are required to have onfarm food safety training, keep detailed feeding and animal health records (which are subject to audit), and complete an Environmental Farm Plan.
A branding relationship with Loblaw Companies Ltd. means Ontario Corn Fed Beef is available on the shelves of 241 Loblaw’s stores in Ontario. There are also approximately 100 smaller gourmet butcher shops and retailers who carry the brand, many of whom have been partners since the beginning of the program. Since 2002, Ontario Corn Fed has been supplying the restaurant and institutional markets through a partnership with Morton Wholesale Foods of Windsor, ON. Recently, an agreement was signed with Sysco North America, one of the largest foodservice companies in the world. The brand also has an alliance with Treeline Foods, a smaller foodservice provider in Toronto. In 2012, Loblaw’s worked closely with Ontario Corn Fed Beef to launch the “Ontario Corn Fed Platinum” brand which is available exclusively in