That’s the phrase that the Eastmond family from Mortlach, Sask., uses to promote their latest enterprise, Kattle Kountry Beef — an integrated beef production, processing and marketing operation.
The Eastmonds are no strangers to beef production. The family has been raising cattle on their Saskatchewan ranch since the early 1900s.
The ranch took root back in 1908 when British immigrant Albert Eastmond, along with his wife, Alice, set down roots on the sandy grasslands near Mortlach, about 40 kilometres west of Moose Jaw.
Albert had initially planned to start a homestead on the heavier soils near Belle Plaine, Sask., about 70 kilometres to the east.
But unable to buy a four-horse team that would be needed to break and till the land near Belle Plaine, Albert headed further west to the ranchlands near Mortlach and started raising cattle.
Four generations later, Lee and Ashley Eastmond are continuing the family tradition along with their two daughters, and Lee’s parents, Les and Donna Eastmond.
Today, Kattle Kountry Beef consists of a breeding herd of about 400 cows with predominantly Red Angus genetics. The family also runs a 500-head feedlot that offers custom feeding.
The Eastmonds also operate a custom silaging operation and a custom bale hauling service.
And in her spare time, Ashley runs a rural veterinary service called Kattle Kountry Veterinary Services.
“Direct marketing gives us an opportunity not only to move the beef we produce, but it also gives us an opportunity to do some ag education,” said Ashley.
“It’s awesome that we’re able to connect directly with consumers, to tell them our story and show them how we raise our animals.
“We care about animal welfare. We care about our meat being wholesome and healthy and we wouldn’t serve anything to consumers if we weren’t prepared to eat it ourselves.”
Before 2020, the Eastmond family hadn’t given much thought to starting a direct marketing operation.
But when COVID-19 landed in North America and disrupted beef supply chains, the family found itself in the unenviable position of having 300 finished cattle to sell and nowhere to ship them.
At the time, large-scale slaughterhouses across North America were operating at reduced capacity, resulting in a backlog of finished cattle stuck in feedlots across Canada and the United States.
“We’re small potatoes on the feedlot side of things — 400 or 500 head — so we knew that if the slaughterhouses weren’t taking cattle from the big feedlots, they wouldn’t be taking ours either,” Ashley recalled.
“Our entire year’s paycheque was standing in the pen, ready to go, and we had nowhere to ship them.”
“To say we were forced into direct marketing isn’t accurate,” added Lee.
“But we didn’t know what was going to happen and we felt that if we did nothing, that we weren’t going to be on the forefront of the industry…. We saw an opportunity to do something different and we thought it would give us an advantage.”
So the Eastmonds — Lee, Ashley, Les and Donna — pulled the chairs around the kitchen table in early 2020 and began to discuss their options.
They eventually made the decision to have their animals custom-slaughtered at smaller, locally owned butcheries and to begin direct marketing their beef throughout the province.
Initially, marketing efforts depended heavily on Facebook and other social media platforms, word-of-mouth and local farmers markets.
Today, Kattle Kountry Beef runs a website at kattlekountrybeef.ca, where shoppers can browse, place online orders, ask questions and learn about different beef cuts and how they should be used.
Customers can buy beef by the half, quarter and individual cut or in pre-packaged boxes that offer a variety of products, including steaks, roasts and lean ground beef.
Kattle Kountry Beef products can also be bought in local grocery stores and sourced through a distribution network that covers much of Saskatchewan.
Soon after their direct marketing efforts began to gain traction, the Eastmonds were faced with another potential dilemma.
One of the local butchers that had agreed to process the majority of Kattle Kountry’s animals informed the family that he was closing his doors and would no longer be available to offer custom slaughtering services.
Determined to keep their direct marketing efforts on track, the Eastmonds put their heads together and decided to buy the butcher shop.
With that acquisition, the Eastmonds now run a fully integrated beef supply chain that affords them complete control over all aspects of production, processing and marketing.
The newly acquired butchery — Butcher Block on The Prairie — is located in nearby Chaplin, Sask., not far from Mortlach. It employs four people and offers custom processing of beef, bison, pork, lamb and wild game carcasses.
According to Lee, the decision to get into the slaughter business has been a learning experience, but one that has given the family more control and more satisfaction.
“We still deal with (the large slaughterhouses) a bit but our ultimate goal is to market all of beef ourselves and to deliver it directly to consumers,” said Lee.
“There’s not as much satisfaction in loading a semi with cattle and delivering it to a slaughterhouse. When you’re involved in direct marketing, it takes a lot more time and effort, but you hand the customer your meat personally and you know the quality and care that went into it.”
Both Ashley and Lee agree that running a butcher shop along with a cow-calf operation, a feedlot, a veterinary service and a custom silaging operation has presented a number of challenges. But so far, despite a heavy workload, it’s full steam ahead on all fronts.
“I think we were all a little bit hesitant at first (to get involved in the slaughter and meat-cutting business),” said Ashley.
“We didn’t have butcher experience ourselves. We know the cutting side of things but to go in there and actually break down a carcass and make steaks isn’t our thing. But again, you’ve got to take advantage of an opportunity when its presents to you.”
Added Lee: “We had to do some upgrades (to the butcher shop) to bring it up to our standards, but the staff were all there and we managed to roll some of them forward….”
Between all sides of the operation, the workload is phenomenal.
“Just having the butcher shop alone is kind of like getting in a spaceship and trying to figure it out (on the go),” he said.
“We’ve pulled a few wrong levers and hit a few wrong buttons along the way, but we’re not crashing back to Earth yet. We’ve still got our sights for the stars.”
Ashley said all of the products from Kattle Kountry Beef are Canadian Angus Rancher Certified, and VBP+ (Verified Beef Production) Certified, which ensure high standards in animal health, welfare and sustainability.
All of the family’s beef is younger than 18 months and is dry-aged for a minimum of 21 days.
