Hi, first I
would like to introduce you to my family and I and let you
know a little about ourselves. MacPherson Meats consists of
myself, my husband Scott and our children Katriona, Sarah,
Rorrick & Brianna, and we have co-producers so to speak, my
parents, Myles & Nancy Gray and my brother and his family,
Dan, Lucy & Brendan Gray. It all began with my
great-grandfather, in 1909 him and his brother came out East
from Claresholm and staked their claim to a section of
land. This year marks our 100th year of the family farm.
Then my Grandpa & Grandma ran the farm until my parents took
over from them. Scott & I moved back home in the fall of
2000, my brother & his family moved back the spring of
2003. Each family owns their own land and cattle, but we
help each other out with the daily chores involved with
running a ranch. My parents are currently living on the
original homestead that my great-grandparents homesteaded.
In
1999, my parents, as an effort to make the farm more
sustainable, began the process of becoming certified
organic. At that time, OCIA our certifying body, allowed
you to become certified the same year as you applied if you
could prove that you hadn’t sprayed your crops for at least
3 years prior, which my parents hadn’t. So 1999 began our
farms organic process with all of the farm land and crops
being certified organic. After our return home, we
certified all of our pasture land to prepare for the
certification of our cattle. Then in 2008 we took the
plunge and certified our animals as well.
When
we first moved home Scott began working off the farm full
time in the oil patch and I got my license to drive school
bus, to be able to make ends meet. In an effort to make the
family farm more self sufficient, we decided to try selling
our ‘all natural’ beef at the Medicine Hat farmers market.
So began our journey in 2004. From there we have expanded
into several different areas with our product. We started
with just ground beef, then added steaks and roasts, now we
carry a wide range of beef cuts, poultry products and we
grind the organic grains that we grow on our farm to sell as
flour, as well as selling the grain whole for those who want
to mill it themselves.
Our
first trial at branching out from the farmers market began
with asking a friend who had just opened up a store downtown
if she would be interested in selling our product from
there, so you can also find us at Coco Locos located
downtown. Next the co-owner of a fairly new restaurant
downtown approached us about being interested in using our
freshly milled whole wheat flour, and occasionally using our
extra lean ground beef, now our product is used at DeVines
Grill downtown. Then one of our regular customers started
up a small internet store where you can buy excellent
organic fruits/vegetables and other organic products, so
when we approached her, she gladly listed our meat and
flours on there as well, so now we are also available
through the living organics buying club. Next one of our
customers was looking at opening up a new restaurant on the
edge of downtown, so he had his head chef pick up a variety
of samples from us to see what he could possibly incorporate
into his menu, now 502 South takes all of the tenderloin and
rib-eyes that we can give them.
As
our clientele grows, the more people we get to talk to and
visit with on a daily basis, the more opinions and facts we
learn about organics and the lifestyle that goes with it.
So the more involved we have become in our meat business,
the more we have gotten out of it as far as learning about
the best possible choices to make to keep our family safe
and healthy. We always believed that organic was best, but
didn’t always apply that at home, now we enjoy pretty much
an entirely organic life at home, from the soaps and
shampoos we use, to the foods we eat. We still eat out at
restaurants, eat at friends and families that don’t use
organic foods, but we believe that you just do the best you
can.
info@macphersonmeats.ca
