Organic Livestock Producers Cooperate to Access Growing Markets

By Brenda Frick, Ph.D., P.Ag.

Saskatchewan Organic Livestock (SOL) is a non-profit cooperative dedicated to educating the public, promoting organic meat and facilitating marketing for organic livestock producers. A year ago, Saskatchewan Organic Directorate, Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada and Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food hosted a meeting to consider the strong growth potential of the certified organic meat market. SOL was founded in response to this potential.

Consumer interest in organic meat is increasing dramatically. Sandy Russell from Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food indicates that beef is the fastest growing category in the organic market in the United States. Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development recently completed a study which suggests excellent potential for organic chicken and pork as well.

The Alberta study questioned consumers’ attitudes in BC and Alberta to natural, organic and free range pork and chicken. They found that there is a “high level of interest” in this sort of product, with nearly 70% of consumers wanting to purchase natural, organic or free range chicken and nearly 60% of consumers wanting natural, organic or free range pork.

People who are “highly interested” in natural, organic or free range chicken and pork tended to be women (more than men) who were well educated, especially those with young families. This trend was duplicated in the study of the American organic beef market. Women under 40 were the most frequent purchasers. In the Alberta study, the interest in natural, organic or free range was greatest for consumers who had the greatest awareness of these options. In the American example, organic consumption increased dramatically after the USA adopted the National Organic Program. This suggests a substantial benefit for organic producers who “get the word out”.

Getting the word out about organic meat is a major focus of Saskatchewan Organic Livestock. SOL plans to undertake projects that help consumers realize the benefits of organic meat as a healthy and wholesome food. Half of the money collected through membership fees will be dedicated to education projects. The first of these is the development of a website to link producers with consumers. Consumers could use the website to find a local source of organic lamb, for instance.

The SOL website would also be a valuable way for organic producers to connect with each other. For instance, producers who background could find cow/calf operators and finishers in their region. The connection among organic producers could be extended to those who produce feed. Producers who wish to include alfalfa in their rotation, but do not wish to raise cattle, might use SOL’s services to connect with the beef “value chain”.

SOL also works at market coordination to help bring a fair price to producers and reduce the risk on the part of the producer. SOL is already making contacts to move this year’s crop of beef calves. The group started with beef because the market demand and producer base were strongest for this species. Dayton Funk, one of two Marketing Coordinators for SOL, says that live certified organic animals from 500 lb to finish are moving “south, east and west”.

The market coordination arm of SOL hopes to eventually move to a branded product, taken through slaughter and sold as boxed meat. This will allow producers to retain more of the product value. Dayton sees real value in aiming for a regional, Canadian prairie organic meat brand.

SOL is in discussions with other producer groups in Manitoba and Alberta. By working together, sharing buyer and price information, Dayton believes that producers will be able to retain a strong negotiating position. SOL could facilitate a more informed connection between buyers and sellers.

SOL has made major strides forward, and now is ready to takes its vision further. It will have its first annual meeting on Oct 17th, at 9 am at the Saskatoon Agriculture Business Centre of Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food. They will elect a board of directors and consider the next steps on behalf of certified organic livestock producers. They welcome all organic livestock producers to join them at this time.


Brenda Frick, Ph.D., P.Ag., is the Prairie Coordinator for OACC (the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada) at the College of Agriculture, University of Saskatchewan. She welcomes your comments at 306-966-4975 or via email at brenda.frick@usask.ca.


For additional information about the marketing study done by Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, contact Bert Dening at 780-674-8247.
For additional information on SOL, contact Karen Liska at 306-948-2996.


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Posted November 2006