New Year, New Direction, New Website

New Year – What have we been up to?

Winter has come and gone, much to everyone’s hope. Our soils received a good dousing of snow and with that came a good cleansing that only a long frost can bring. We, as a family, escaped some of that winter havoc. We had planned a sort of hiatus, a getaway, perhaps even a life experience. The goal: to create margin, to learn, to take some time for our family. What did we do? We went away.

Coffee Beans, Rusty’s Hawaiian 100% Ka’u Coffee

British White Cattle, Kuahiwi Ranch

Cocoa at Sacred Grounds Coffee Farm

As a farm owner, I wanted to visit other farms, meet other people in agriculture to see how they view farming. It was time to finish some reading and do some planning – things that I am unable to find time for while here in Canada. As a Dad I was able to spend everyday with my kids- learning more about them, playing more with them, and giving them more attention and time. And as a person I enjoyed taking a break from life for a moment to meet a variety of different people – all of whom I hope to spend time with again.
But now we are back, hitting spring head on with big dreams and ambition.

New Direction – Where are we Headed?

Beef Cattle. Grass fed Beef has been our “bread and butter”. I have been around cattle longer than I can remember. I will work with cows as often as I can. As a kid, I collected farm magazines and cut out the images of cows and would tape them to my wall (that memory was just recalled, I might be embarrassed later). My Grandpa had blonde and white cows. My Dad had black and brown cows. I loved Horned Hereford’s when I was young, but then changed my preference to Aberdeen Angus. If a local auction barn sold cattle I would attend if I could. That would be “fun” for me. Get the picture? I am a cattleman.
It wasn’t until I heard Mark Schatzker speak at a beef conference, that I sincerely was “set on fire” about raising and selling the best beef I could possibly grow. His book, “Steak” is a superb read. It makes you hungry for meat that is rarely sold anymore – good and flavorful steak. The good news is, good steak can still be raised and you can enjoy it as well.
That’s where we come in. Our goal is to produce the most naturally delicious beef. It just so happens that delicious and nutritious can be had in the same beef. Might I invite you this year to take part in trying some beef cuts that we will have on offer starting in July. We begin with Purebred Aberdeen Angus steers, fed and fattened on grass. Near the end of the summer, we will have some Wagyu cross Angus beef available. Wagyu is a highly marbled, black, Japanese beef breed (http://www.firstlightfoods.co.nz/grass-fed-wagyu for more information).
We are really excited to offer you both Wagyu And Angus beef cuts for your family’s table.
Up and Coming newsletters will go into more detail of what we all are trying to accomplish, but here is a snippet:
Pasture raised Pork, Free Range Eggs, Pastured Poultry (including turkeys, Ducks and Geese), Pasture Raised Veal, Tomatoes & Strawberries.

New Website – What will it do for you?

Friends are great. One of my wife’s friends pulled me aside and said, “My husband could build you a website, just ask him”. So I did. And Voila! I love the site.
My goals for the website derived from these observations: If a farm advertisement didn’t have an email or website, I didn’t contact them. If they didn’t have updated information on their site, I didn’t know if they were still active farming. If purchasing from them was tough, I gave up.
My hope is that this Blackview Site addresses everyone’s needs with uptodate online information, easy shopping and quick mobile access.
So, in this new year, stay with us. We’re excited to have you on board!

Aylesbury Ducks from Award Winning Donnyweir Farm, Caledon.

Cheers,
Bill & Michelle Parke