Ranching – a Keystone of the South Cariboo

A keystone - the wedge-shaped piece at the crown of an arch that locks the other pieces in place - is very important to a stonemason, and to anyone passing over an arched stone bridge. A keystone species - like grizzly bears (described as “ecosystem engineers who transfer nutrients from the oceanic ecosystem to the forest ecosystem” by gorging themselves on spawning salmon in many rivers of the B.C. interior) - are a very important animal contributing to the overall wellbeing of the regional environment.

Alternately, a keystone can be defined as “something on which associated things depend for support”. The following comments support the position that working ranches are a socioeconomic (herein defined as social and economic wellbeing) keystone of the South Cariboo.

Preserving Our Ranching Heritage

It is not necessarily those lands that are the most fertile or most favoured in climate that seem to me the happiest, but those in which a long struggle of adaptation between man and his environment has brought out the best qualities of both,... – T.S. Eliot in After Strange Gods

Traditional ranches are places where struggle and adaptation have etched themselves into the ground; weaving together culture, land, buildings, homes and lives. Ranches exemplify places where the natural and manmade have collided and grown together, forming a cultural landscape, often over generations.

A ranch is much more than the buildings that dot its landscape. As a cultural resource, ranches represent an important aspect of the South Cariboo’s history, for they shaped our early settlement patterns during and after the Barkerville gold rush. They have evolved and developed as unique land-use systems. Ranching activities, the organization of the ranch complex and its relationship to the land, cultural traditions, and circulation patterns for livestock, wildlife and people, all honour a history of living off the land.

We are now losing some of our prime ranch land through increased development and the purchase of ranch properties for recreation and non-ranching tourism operations. A two-decade erosion of the financial viability of ranching throughout western Canada and in this region has accelerated this trend. The move away from ownership by traditional ranch families is altering the cultural landscape of the South Cariboo. This shift affects not just the ranches themselves, but also the people, culture and the entire landscape of which working ranches are an integral part.

Working ranches have long been a central way of life that originally defined the South Cariboo. Increasingly, they represent our region’s bygone history. The South Cariboo’s cultural identity is tied to ranching, a pristine environment, and a strong sense of community. As community-minded residents and business owners, we must help preserve this socioeconomic keystone of the South Cariboo.

Working Ranches Benefit Everyone in the South Cariboo

First and foremost, working ranches produce food. South Cariboo ranchers currently produce beef, bison, chicken, lamb, pork, rabbit and turkey. Local ranchers are your neighbours, providing and/or supporting many of the positive aspects of our community. Working ranches acquire most of their supplies from local merchants and shop in local stores, thereby generating a significant amount of economic activity in the South Cariboo. Ranchers are excellent stewards of both their land and the surrounding rangeland. Working ranches are integral to the culture of our region - contributing to the reasons you live here and why tourists continue to visit our region. On balance, working ranches generate at least five significant benefits to everyone in the South Cariboo.

As mentioned, many local ranches are struggling for financial viability and their threatened demise would negate all of the benefits mentioned above. Although their primary objective is to produce food, presently there are a number of barriers preventing the widespread availability of their wholesome meat products for local residents. Mostly, these barriers to the availability of local meat are a combination of economic and regulatory challenges. Over the past two decades livestock prices have not kept pace with ever-increasing land costs and operating expenses. Beef producers (our dominant sector) have also suffered because of the non-local BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) outbreak. At the local level, the biggest impact of BSE was the establishment of the stricter Meat Inspection Regulation. With this change, any meat product for resale in B.C. must be slaughtered in a government inspected abattoir. Currently, this requirement prevents any local grocer or restaurant from offering local meat economically because of the prohibitive distance to a licensed abattoir. This situation also significantly restricts local ranchers’ choices when they attempt to sell their meat products anywhere beyond the ‘farm gate’.

Fortunately, there are local initiatives underway to alleviate these challenges and barriers to the distribution of local meat products. Local ‘white-meat’ (chicken, rabbit & turkey) producers are close to having a government-inspected mobile abattoir serving the South Cariboo. Local ‘red-meat’ (beef, bison, lamb & pork) producers have formed the South Cariboo Meat Co-op and are working to build and operate a government-inspected abattoir in 100 Mile House. This multi-stakeholder Co-op offers two classes of membership, the first comprised of local ranchers and the second open to any individual, organization, or business wishing to support local ranchers’ meat production. These critically important abattoirs will allow local ranchers to start and/or increase their production and distribution of local meat products. This important step will give them a greater share of the retail price for meat in our local supply chain, thereby significantly enhancing the financial viability of South Cariboo ranches.

How Can I Help Preserve Our Ranching Heritage?

There are a number of things you can do to help local ranchers. You can begin by increasing your purchases of local food. Seasonally, there is a good selection of local produce available at outlets like the South Cariboo Farmer’s Market. Despite the barriers mentioned, there is some local meat available through ‘farm gate’ sales. You are encouraged to approach local ranchers to discuss both your current interest in local meat and to offer them input on how they may meet your needs in the future, once the licensed abattoirs are in place.

More concretely, you can join the South Cariboo Meat Co-op. This initiative is now sourcing funding to construct an abattoir this summer and your membership will help make this happen. A ‘Community’ membership is available to any individual, organization or business and the required minimum purchase of one share will only cost you $100. Beyond that, we urge you to consider purchasing additional shares, up to the maximum permissible of fifty $100 shares. As an investment, these shares are an excellent way to strengthen the local economy and preserve our ranching heritage. The Co-op shares are redeemable at any time and pay an attractive interest rate (minimum set at 3%, annually). For additional information, please contact the South Cariboo Meat Co-op at either info@southcariboomeat.coop or 250-395-6775.

Remember, a keystone is “something on which associated things depend for support”. Your support of local ranchers and their South Cariboo Meat Co-op can make a real difference in our community. Please help preserve ranching – a keystone of the South Cariboo.

The Board of Directors
South Cariboo Meat Co-op