The image of Alberta as a place full of massive cattle feedlots and industrial farm operations is being countered by small local producers who are raising their vegetables and animals in a way that is respectful both the individual products and animals and to the earth itself.
Carli Baum and Nicole Lamb have partnered to bring a new concept to grass fed beef in Alberta. Their operation at Bite Beef emphasizes producing better tasting, healthier and more environmentally sensitive beef.
Lamb says the process started for her when she returned to the family farm and decided to make it her career. She says, " From there we were actively searching for ways to bring some vertical integration back to the family business. Just over a year ago I read the book Steak by Mark Schatzker and that led me down the path to producing better tasting beef."
Four Core Values
Baum outlines the four core values that set Bite Beef apart from the competition. Their beef is healthier because it's fed on grass exclusively and no grain finishing is done. Baum says, "Grass fed beef in general is higher in Omega 3 fatty acids and our Omega 3/Omega 6 fatty acid profile is balanced and very similar to wild salmon. Our beef is higher in vitamin E and CLA and is lower in fat and calories in general."
The second core value is that the beef is slowly grown. Rather than being raised in the conventional 16-20 months, Bite raises their cattle over 29 months. They also finish their cattle on pasture rotation over 100 to 120 days. Baum explains, Our cattle are turned out to fresh grass where they only consume the top 40 percent of the stem which is higher in energy. This produces a better tasting, more marbled and tender product too."
Thirdly, Baum says, Bite Beef practices low stress animal handing and takes good animal husbandry very seriously. The final factor that sets Bite Beef apart is their strong focus on environmental consciousness according to Baum.
Nicole Lamb explains that the most crucial aspect of Bite's environmental program is taking a holistic approach. She says, "We work on incorporating elements of our entire operation together to be the most efficient so it pays off economically as well. It's also extremely environmentally conscious."
Lamb adds, "One of the key factors is that per quarter we only graze intensively for ten days and we move the whole herd on. This really helps us manage the grass but it also helps us manage our water resources. In a rainfall instead of the water rushing away the dense grass absorbs that water and it helps to maintain a really healthy and sustainable water supply."
Respect is Key
When it comes to handling the animals and employing sensitive animal husbandry, Lamb says, "I think it all starts with having a deep respect for the animals and trying to put ourselves in their place. We try to understand how they think and how they react and really being conscious of how they respond to our body positioning and the tools we use like horses, quads and the corral system."
Operations like Bite Beef are integral part of the slow food movement's ethos of a closer relationship to what we eat. Lamb explains that Bite is proud to be a part of this movement and says, "We're happy to be a producer near Calgary that people can literally get a hold of, talk to us directly and get a feel for who they're dealing with. One big way that we differentiate from the slow food movement is that not only do we want to be producing a local product that's healthy and positively affects the environment but we really wanted to produce a better tasting product too."
Many restaurants in Calgary are moving towards a respect for local, sustainably raised products and Bite Beef was interested in creating relationships with some of these restaurants. They are early in the process but Lamb says, "The relationships so far are great. The response from chefs has been wonderful. We basically approached a lot of restaurants that we respect in the city and that we felt had the same paradigm about sourcing their food as we have about producing it."
She adds that the chefs who have tasted their beef have been generally quite positive about the flavour and tenderness of their product.
Looking Ahead
The future looks bright for Bite Beef from Baum's perspective. She says, "We have big hopes for Bite Beef. When you start a process like this and your goal is to approach it holistically it's amazing how well it works out for everybody and everything involved. The animals are treated better, the land we ranch benefits from our use, people get a healthier product that tastes better. That being said we do see growth in our future, we don't know exactly where that growth will take us but we're open to however much growth we can get. Having a product that's so genuinely good, we'd like everybody to have access to it in future."
As part of Bite's desire to expand into the retail market they're starting to sell their beef to Community Natural Foods in Calgary in October of 2011.
There are an increasing number of people who make the choice to continue to eat meat but wish to do so in an ethical manner. Baum points out that the entire process at Bite Beef puts respect for the animals first. She says, "Everything we do is above board and we like to say that our cattle live a privileged existence. They're respected from start to finish and they really live a natural life. They eat the food that's intended for them, they're healthy, they're not medicated - there's no antibiotics or hormones administered. If people are looking for an ethically raised product, our product is certainly that."
For more information on Bite Beef, please visit: http://www.bitebeef.com
The interview with Nicole Lamb and Carli Baum was conducted on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2011 over the telephone.
