South Cariboo Meat Co-op News & Updates

South Cariboo Meat Co-op Selects New Location

2011-06-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

After thorough consideration of all related issues, the Board of Directors of the South Cariboo Meat Co-op has selected a new location for the Co-op’s Class B provincially licensed red-meat abattoir.

In April, after a great response from the community, the Board of Directors, together with the support of the membership, made the decision to proceed with the construction of a new abattoir to serve livestock producers throughout the South Cariboo region. While carrying out due diligence on the originally proposed property, the Board discovered a serious challenge around water supply. To resolve this issue, the Board looked at several options, before deciding to relocate to a site off Canim-Hendrix Road.

With the enthusiastic and generous support of 100 Mile Ranch Ltd., the Board will enter into a lease-to-purchase agreement for a section of land bordering Canim Hendrix Road and the old Forest Grove Road. This property features great road access and is close to town, while remaining well buffered from any other development. With this agreement in place, construction on the facility will begin right away.

By way of update, the Board has also ordered the building from Perka Building Systems.

To celebrate both the relocation and the official launch of construction on the new facility, the South Cariboo Meat Co-op is hosting a ‘ground-breaking’ event on Friday, June 24. We invite all members and interested folks to gather at the property for a look at the site and then to reconvene at the Valley Room of The Lodge for an informal membership gathering. Timing for the day will be announced shortly.

As always, if you have any questions or require further information about any aspect of our project, we encourage you to contact either Howie McMillan (250-395-6775 or info@southcariboomeat.coop) or any member of our Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors
South Cariboo Meat Co-op

Recent Progress for the SCMCo-op

2011-05-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

With the required near-term funding and a Board recommended decision by our membership to proceed in place, we are now actively planning the construction phase of our abattoir project.

Final details of our land acquisition are being worked out and we have the green light from the District of 100 Mile House to begin on-site preparations for construction. To date, a geo-tech survey of the ground conditions under our building site has been undertaken. We are also about to initiate the select tender process for local contractors, starting with the site preparation. This phase will entail constructing an access road on to the property and preparing the building site for the installation of a concrete, slab-like foundation.

To commemorate this significant phase of our project development, we are organizing a public ‘ground-breaking’ celebration, with details to be released very soon. In the meantime, we encourage all members and interested parties to contact us at any time if they have questions or wish more information on our project.

Regarding Board of Directors developments, we are pleased to announce the selection of the following executive. Gus Horn returns as our Board Chair; Lorne Landry continues as our Vice-Chair; Christine Jordaan remains our Secretary; and new Board member, Bob Scott, was selected as Treasurer. The remainder of our Board is comprised of Rod Hennecker, Marvin Monical and Diane Wood (see accompanying photo).

It's a Go!

2011-04-13T07:54:00.000-07:00

With community support that can only be called amazing, the South Cariboo Meat Co-op has met and exceeded both of its near-term funding targets. We whole-heartedly thank all of our members for their investment in local food production in the South Cariboo. Reflecting our ongoing need to expand the membership and raise more capital, we will continue to welcome new members and additional investment in this worthy community project.

At the resumption of our AGM on April 12, with roughly one hundred members in attendance, a strongly supported motion was passed to proceed with the abattoir project. A full slate of seven Directors was elected to our Board and we will issue a more detailed update after the new Board meets on Friday, April 15.

Again, we thank everyone who has joined and invested in our Co-op. Please watch this space and related website for ongoing updates on our progress.

The Board of Directors
South Cariboo Meat Co-op

Greetings and Welcome to our new Members!

2011-04-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

We wish to announce and/or remind our membership about a ‘Special General Meeting’ of the South Cariboo Meat Co-op. This meeting was arranged at our March 29 AGM, in conjunction with the agreed-upon extension of our fundraising deadline, and will take place at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, April 12th. Please note that the location has been changed to the Community Room of the 100 Mile House Library at 449 Birch Avenue.

By way of an update on our fundraising, we are pleased to say that the community response has been nothing short of amazing. Acknowledging that, we would like to take this opportunity to thank every one of you for your support. With applications and cheques coming in seemingly continuously, we can say with confidence that we are very close to meeting our target. However, we encourage you to keep ‘talking it up’ with your neighbours and friends. With a final push right up to our deadline on Tuesday we should be in great shape.

The Board of Directors
South Cariboo Meat Co-op

Crunch Time for SCMCo-op!

2011-03-31T16:08:00.001-07:00

With licensing and construction deadlines looming, the South Cariboo Meat Co-op’s Board of Directors has now set a firm date for a final decision on proceeding with our project to build and operate a provincially licensed red-meat abattoir in 100 Mile House. While Co-op membership share sales to-date has been significant, there is still a considerable shortfall that must be made up prior to initiating the construction phase.

Respecting the deadlines mentioned, our Board has designated April 12, 2011 for a final decision on proceeding. At this late stage and facing the serious risk that this extremely valuable initiative may not advance, permit us to be blunt: an additional 1,200 shares (at $100 each) must be sold prior to April 12th.

To date, we have consciously avoided promoting this project by dwelling on the negative implications of not having a local and readily accessible licensed abattoir. The urgency of the situation forces us to lay this out in plain language. The Meat Inspection Regulation dictates that all livestock for sale (farmgate or resale) in the province must be slaughtered in a government inspected facility. If the SCMCo-op fails in its bid to build and operate such a facility, no legal slaughter capability will be available within a 100+ kilometer radius of 100 Mile House. While Findlay Meats (present holders of an interim Class C license to slaughter) will be permitted to continue operating as a ‘Cut & Wrap’, the failure of this project will trigger the immediate loss of their license to slaughter. The negative implications for South Cariboo ranchers and small-scale livestock producers, their respective customers, local businesses that supply them and the broader economy of our community are profound!

If you have joined the SCMCo-op as a Producer or Community member, we thank you for stepping up and encourage you to purchase more shares as an investment. If you have not yet invested in this very valuable initiative, we urge you to do so. Like so many other South Cariboo accomplishments, the success of this important project is dependent on the support of many.

“Producer” members (livestock producers) are asked to purchase a minimum of ten $100 shares. “Community” members (any individual, association or business) can join with the minimum purchase of one $100 share. Both classes of membership may purchase up to a maximum of fifty shares ($5,000) as an investment. The shares are redeemable, pay annual interest (a minimum rate of 3% has been established) and are eligible for patronage dividends (profit sharing). On balance, they are an attractive investment in their own right with a modest risk level. Moreover, they are a great way to build capacity and resilience in our local economy.

Further information and Membership Application forms are available on our website at www.southcariboomeat.coop. If you have questions, or need more information prior to investing, please contact us at info@southcariboomeat.coop or 250-395-6775.

The Board of Directors
South Cariboo Meat Co-op

SCMCo-op AGM Reminder

2011-03-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

We invite all members and any interested individuals to attend our 2011 Annual General Meeting. We will meet in the Pioneer Room of the Creekside Seniors Centre (501 Cedar Avenue, 100 Mile House) at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, March 29, 2011.

The meeting will include an update on our abattoir project and the election of a new slate of Directors. As all of our current Board members are serving a one-year term that will expire at the AGM, we are inviting nominations (self or otherwise) for the election of seven Directors. We have established a policy to elect 3 or 4 Directors to a one-year term and 3 or 4 to a two-year term to ensure some future continuity on our Board from one year to the next. Please remember that only paid-up members – or, in the case of an organization or business, their appointed voting representative - are eligible for nomination to our Board and to vote (if necessary) in the election of Directors.

The Board of Directors
South Cariboo Meat Co-op

SCMCo-op 2011 Annual General Meeting

2011-02-21T15:55:00.000-08:00

Update from SCMCo-op

2011-02-02T10:38:00.000-08:00

We are happy to report an important milestone in the development of the SCMCo-op abattoir. We have now submitted a formal application to the BC Centre for Disease Control for a Class B, provincial license for a red-meat slaughter-only facility. While this process will take some time, with the expected fine tuning of the application to meet their requirements, we should have approval for construction long before our May 1, 2011 ground-breaking target date. Once that is in place, we can work with them through the construction phase. From there, we will get formal approval for our application when the facility is ready for final inspection, just before we begin operating – in line with our August target.

As always, if you are looking for more information on our project, or have any questions, please contact us at info@southcariboomeat.coop or 250-395-6775.

The Board of Directors
South Cariboo Meat Co-op

Join Us!

2011-01-26T09:14:00.000-08:00

The South Cariboo Meat Co-op will construct and operate a Class B, provincially licensed red-meat abattoir in 100 Mile House to serve the ranchers of the South Cariboo region. This will allow area livestock producers to economically offer their meat products locally and throughout B.C. We are asking community-minded individuals, organizations and businesses to both join this incorporated Co-op and to invest in additional membership shares of this valuable community project. The primary benefits for Co-op members and the broader community are highlighted below:

Good for you…

• This project will ensure a locally produced supply of healthy, safe and sustainable red-meat (beef, bison, lamb & pork) for you and your family.
• Your redeemable membership shares are an excellent investment with a minimum annual interest rate of 3% and will always yield a one-half percent premium over redeemable one-year bank deposits.

Good for your community…

• This project will create and/or preserve approximately twenty food processing jobs in the South Cariboo. It will also help sustain roughly one hundred fifty families directly and/or indirectly employed in agricultural jobs in our community.
• By allowing local ranchers to move up the value-chain from just supplying live animals to participating in the production and processing of meat products, this project will significantly enhance the financial viability of ranching in the South Cariboo.
• In turn, viable working ranches have a much greater capacity to continue their valuable role as environmental stewards of our region’s farmland and forest range.
• And lastly, viable working ranches make a significant contribution to our local economy and regional tourism, while preserving a valuable component of the South Cariboo’s history and culture.

Through your membership and investment in the South Cariboo Meat Co-op, you can make a real difference in our community. Please join us to help sustain a promising future for our South Cariboo community!

For more information on membership, please contact us at info@southcariboomeat.coop or 250-395-6775. In addition, we encourage you to visit our website at www.southcariboomeat.coop for more information and updates on our project.

The Board of Directors
South Cariboo Meat Co-op

Ranching – a Keystone of the South Cariboo

2011-01-25T11:25:00.000-08:00

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

Happy New Year from SCMCo-op

2011-01-20T16:56:00.000-08:00

With the start of 2011, the South Cariboo Meat Co-op is now collecting payments for the purchase of membership shares. Those folks who submitted Membership Application forms during 2010 have been asked to submit their payment for the number of shares they pledged to purchase. Many of you have already done so and we thank you for your support.

So far the response has been great and we are pleased with the number of new applications we continue to receive. As you will note on the new application form (linked to this website and available around town), there is no future date for payment. New subscribers are asked to include payment for their shares at the time of application.

With our active membership recruitment now formally underway, we will be posting regular updates on this blog and elsewhere. However, if you have any questions at any time, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

The Board of Directors
South Cariboo Meat Co-op

SCMCo-op General Meeting Announcement

2010-08-31T08:41:00.000-07:00

Following up on our last post, we have now scheduled a General Meeting for the South Cariboo Meat Co-op. We will meet at 7:00 pm in the Creekside Seniors Centre (just north of the hospital) in 100 Mile House on September 9, 2010.

The purpose of this meeting is to present details on our previously announced consideration of a two-phase development of our provincially licensed red-meat abattoir to serve the South Cariboo region. In addition, we are looking for input on the pros and cons of this development approach and welcome any and all questions from both our existing membership and all interested parties.

For any additional information on this meeting, or any aspect of our SCMCo-op, please contact Howie McMillan at either info@southcariboomeat.coop or 250-395-6775.

The Board of Directors
South Cariboo Meat Co-op

An update from the SCMCo-op

2010-08-04T09:11:00.000-07:00

Since our last general meeting, we have been working to source construction/start-up funding for our abattoir. In addition, we continue to work on obtaining quotes to firm up the estimated costs of our project.

Our discussions with potential funders – primarily the Business Development Bank and Farm Credit Canada – have been fairly productive and we now have a better understanding of the required steps to finance our abattoir. Although a number of issues related to our application have been identified, only one of them poses a significant challenge to our obtaining the funding to proceed. Each potential funder has identified a requirement for a significantly higher level of up-front equity, to come either from additional non-repayable grants or membership fees.

With the firmer cost estimates for all components of our project now exceeding $1,600,000, we are therefore faced with an up-front equity threshold over $600,000. Given this expanded price tag, we are also looking at start-up debt levels of roughly $800,000. Needless to say, these numbers have generated some ‘angst’ amongst our Board members!

In response to this greater challenge, our Board has met a number of times recently to discuss how best to proceed. One of the suggestions we are examining closely is a two-phase development of our abattoir over a number of years. Under this plan, we would construct the slaughtering component of our project now and add the processing capacity at a suitable later date. We would obtain a Class B (slaughtering only) Provincial license, once our first phase was completed. When we proceeded with the second phase, we would convert this license to a Class A.

While no decision has been made on this alternate approach, at this time we are seriously examining the apparent advantages. Of course, the primary advantage would be a significantly lower capital cost and a corresponding reduction in the amount of up-front capital we would have to raise to begin construction. Another significant advantage of this approach is that it would still allow us to achieve our principal objective to have a provincially licensed abattoir in the South Cariboo, now tentatively operational by August of 2011.

Although we have not determined a reasonably accurate estimate of the total cost for the phase one component, we are confident it will be approximately 30-40% of the $1,600,000 cost of building the complete Class A facility. Once we have a firm estimate of the cost of this alternate approach, we will be updating our subscribing members.

As always, we encourage you to contact us with any questions you may have, or to discuss our project in greater detail. Please contact Howie McMillan at info@southcariboomeat.coop or 250-395-6775.

The Board of Directors

South Cariboo Meat Co-op

SCMCo-op General Meeting - April 7, 2010

2010-04-08T13:24:00.000-07:00

South Cariboo Meat Co-op General Meeting

Following up on our first AGM last month, we met again last night in an informal General Meeting format to further outline our Co-op project and field questions from both members and folks interested in our initiative. Roughly 30 people attended and an informative and constructive discussion helped flush out many details surrounding the formation and operation of our new abattoir here in the South Cariboo.

With the membership applications submitted last night, we now have over 50 members and are well on our way with our membership recruitment drive. Anyone interested in joining can download an application form from our website (see link in right hand column), or pick one up at either Findlay Meats or Higher Ground Natural Foods. Any questions or comments about Co-op membership, or any other aspect of our initiative, are most welcome and we encourage you to contact Howie at info@southcariboomeat.coop, or 250-395-6775. Alternately, any of our Board members listed in the previous posting would be happy to field your questions and suggestions about our project.

The Board of Directors
South Cariboo Meat Co-op

2010-03-31T17:09:00.000-07:00

2010-03-29T09:38:00.000-07:00

Welcome to SCMCo-op’s News & Updates!

We will use this Blog to post information and updates on our South Cariboo Meat Co-op and the development of our new abattoir located in 100 Mile House. With this interactive communication tool we intend to keep both Co-op members and potential members informed of our progress and apprised of related agricultural news here in the South Cariboo region.

To that end, we wish to report on the success of our first AGM on March 4th. With over 40 people in attendance and a lively exchange of information and questions, we got our Co-op off to a great start. Part of the official business of the meeting saw the election of our first Board of Directors (see accompanying picture). Our new Board members are: Bill Hadden, Rod Hennecker, Gus Horn, Tina Johnson, Christine Jordaan, Lorne Landry, and Gail Morrison. Since then, our first Board meeting was highlighted by the election of the following Board executive, with Gus Horn as Board Chair, Lorne Landry as Vice-Chair, Gail Morrison as Treasurer, and Christine Jordaan as Secretary. We encourage everyone to support our new Board as it leads our Co-op forward in the development of a Class A, provincially licensed red-meat abattoir here in the South Cariboo.

With our membership recruitment drive now in full swing, we are hosting a General Meeting on April 7th in the Pioneer Room of the Creekside Senior’s Centre, starting at 7:00 pm. This meeting is open to everyone and we encourage you to come out with your questions and suggestions around the development of our abattoir. In the meantime, all questions and suggestions can be directed to either info@southcariboomeat.coop or 250-395-6775.

The Board of Directors
South Cariboo Meat Co-op