Sudbury beef farm finds success in co-op business model

For the Day family,the road to cattle farming started out with the simple idea ofbuying some land on which thefamily's horses could graze.

About a decade later, Julie Day and her husband Shawn have almost 200 acres and a herdof about 50 cattle on their Indigo Acres farm in Dowling, a community on the edge of Sudbury.

Both saya passion for raising animals ethically got them into the beef business.

But they discoveredthey needed some help.

Indigo Acres is now one of several farms between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie that make up a business collective calledPenokean Hills Farms.

"None of us are big enough to be able to supply meat year-round to customers when they want, how they want it, Shawn Day said.

Farms involved withPenokean Hillsworktogether to produce and market a steady supply of local meat for the Sudbury and Algoma regions.

The CBC's Megan Thomas went for a tour of the farm:

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More co-ops to come

According to Peggy Bailey with Eat Local Sudbury,it's a model that's a good fit for northern agriculture.

"We carry Penokean Hills and we also carry another co-op which is Golden Beef," Bailey said. "I don't think we would be able to carry them if they weren't working cooperatively. They just wouldn't have the supply to meet our demand."

Other northern Ontario food cooperatives:

• Golden Beef

• Netaweketata

• True North Community Co-operative

Agriculture co-operatives could also be good for the future of the industry, Bailey said.

With more than half of the farmers in Ontario being older than 55, she saidco-op ventures could help young people get into the industry with smaller financial investments.

• Each week through the summer, CBC Radio's Morning North isprofilingmore families in the northeast who grow and produce the local food that makes it to local tables. Listen inSudburyat 99.9FM.