'Beef Mobiles' deliver to consumers

摘要

In an ongoing investigation of the ways local producers sell beef direct to consumers, Atlantic Beef caught up with Frank Foster of Linden Leas Farm in his "Beef Mobile" (one of two operated by the farm), parked in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, far from home north of Amherst. Linden Leas (leas meaning grazing lands) is one of Nova Scotia's largest beef farms, with more than 500 head, and is run by Frank, his wife Edna, and their son Rob. BSE was the hard lesson Linden Leas responded to in 2003 by rentinga refrigerator on wheels, essentially allowing the farm to take retail-ready beef to customers in more than one location. Today, with two Beef Mobiles on the go, each with on-board freezers and refrigerators, they are selling 250 head per year, sometimes more. On a busy summer afternoon, Foster says, one Beef Mobile may sell as much as two carcasses.