A Look into Blue Goose Cattle Company!

A few people have expressed interest in one of our new product suppliers, Blue Goose, from whom we just started purchasing some of our meats for Vancouver and Sea to Sky.

Blue Goose is a family owned cattle ranch in the Cariboo, B.C. and covers over 1.5 million acres of leased and deeded land.

In fact, a good portion of the land their cattle graze on is part of the government owned preserve that has never been exposed to chemicals of any kind. “A healthy land produces healthy animals – without the need for medications.”
 
Doug Sinclair, President and Founder of Blue goose Cattle, was adamant when starting the company that it be vertically integrated pasture to plate and as self-sufficient as possible, so that consumers know exactly where their meat comes from and how. He was one of the first ranchers in North America to see the benefits to not just the ranch itself, but also to consumers since the quality is more consistent and will always meet the rigorous standards that Blue Goose sets for itself.

All the land that the cattle graze on is regularly monitored and assessed to make sure that ecological conditions and conservation goals are met. Blue Goose wants to provide consumers with quality beef with as little impact on the ecosystem as possible by helping to preserve the forests and grasslands. The cattle graze on the land with only a few cowboys for company for about 18 – 22 months before they are rounded up and brought to another of their properties to be “finished.”

They spend the next three to four months in large open enclosures with plenty of room to roam around. Each enclosure has shade cover for hot days, provides enrichment in the form of scratching posts and other cow entertainments, and has the bedding changed regularly to prevent any possible chance of illness. All their feed is certified organic alfalfa grown by Blue Goose itself.

Why not let them graze their entire lives? Travel is difficult for animals and they are often stressed by it, which changes the flavour of the meat in negative ways. By bringing the cattle to an enclosure built near the Abattoir and allowing them to stay there for approximately three months, they are able to forget the trauma of having been moved to a new location.

From their enclosures, the cattle can be walked down the hill and directly to the Abattoir where they are treated as humanely as possible. Both a Veterinarian and a Government inspector are on site daily to make sure that the facility to working to the standards required by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

“…these animals are on this earth to provide humans with food… at the very least, they deserve our respect.”

I hope you enjoyed a look into Blue Goose Cattle Company and, as always, please let us know what you want to hear about next! ~ Rachel