Tina and Chris Johnson have owned and operated Family Farm Natural Meats Ltd. in Buffalo Creek since its incorporation in 2007.
Both have been farming for decades, and Tina says Chris also farmed another family property located on the same side road for 30 years.
When they started Family Farm Natural Meats, they initially raised grass-fed and grass-finished beef, but have since broadened their scope to include naturally raised pork, lamb and poultry.
“We call it pasture raised because we do try to grow our animals most of their lives out on grass, even the poultry.”
This way the animals get fresh air and aren’t penned in, and she says “natural” also means there are no antibiotics or growth hormones in the feed.
While this practice is pretty standard now due to the better feeds available, Tina says Family Farm Natural Meats has always raised their meat this way.
She explains some animals require some supplemental grain, such as pigs, to round out their necessary diet.
However, she encourages pasture foraging and grazing as much as possible because grain affects the taste and creates more fat.
“Grass fed meat is leaner, and tastes more like nature intended.”
The farm currently sells everything they produce at the farm gate and farmers’ markets, but she notes changes to the meat regulations during the past few years now require processing at an inspected facility in order to also sell it retail.
Transporting five to seven animals at once to try and recoup travel costs doesn’t work for the small farms, which often market one or two animals at a time, Tina explains.
The additional capacity of having an abattoir here, with the planned South Cariboo Meat Co-op (SCMC), will be a boon to the area’s meat producers, she says.
“Having a slaughter facility so close in 100 Mile enables the ability to have it done when the time is right.”
The co-op will allow farmers and ranchers the added benefit of diversification in a broader market by supplying meat to restaurants and local stores, as well as at the farm gate.
It also allows for more of them to provide value-added products such as the pepperoni, jerky and gluten-free sausages that her farm produces now.
“We try really hard to keep everything as local as we can, so everyone is benefiting from our enterprise.”
Tina explains her cost savings from less transportation of animals and meat will be passed on in significant savings to her customers.
Everyone should support the meat co-op to help it get off the ground and assure its long-term success, Tina says.
The co-op will give more people in the community direct access to healthy foods, she adds, as well as offering folks a better opportunity for feasible small farming.
She also expects a licensed mobile abattoir docking station for poultry processing to be installed in 100 Mile House this summer.
Having locally raised meat and poultry that is healthy and economical, with easy access to secure and wholesome processing, is incomparable to buying off-the-shelf and often safer than slaughtering it at home, she adds.
“It’s giving that extra sense of security that these animals were handled, processed and chilled properly.”
Tina and Chris have two grown children, and she says being a parent is one of the best reasons to get involved with local food production to ensure healthy food for your children.
“My daughter, Emily, is off at university, and so she has to eat the food they provide there for her,” Tina says, adding Emily doesn’t like those meals, and always asks her mom: “When are you coming down here? Can you bring steak?”
