Farm Glance: Grazing Days

No cows...as of yet.

Paul Slomp, the farmer at Grazing Days, runs a 90-member grass-fed beef CSA just outside of Ottawa. He began his business six weeks ago and, as of yet, has no cows (they’re scheduled to arrive this week). Much of what Paul is selling has to do with who he is: simply put, he’s a really good talker. Having grown up on a dairy farm in Alberta, he jumped into his current endeavor armed with the farming know-how, along with a strong business plan. In six weeks, Paul has managed to recruit a board of advisors, to find land to lease, to design an intensive grazing rotation, to pre-purchase 13 cows, and, impressively, to sell 30 percent of his shares before even welcoming the cows to the farm.

Paul’s beef shares differ from the usual bulk purchase of meat in that he’s targeting those omnivores who either don’t have enough freezer space for an entire side or quarter, or who don’t eat tons of meat. He sells shares that provide monthly or bimonthly amounts of 10 lbs or 20 lbs (one third ground beef, one third roasts, one third steaks), over a period of six months.

But ultimately, it’s not about the beef for Paul. He is working to promote a philosophy. He sees the importance of building more sustainable communities with healthy food systems, and he believes that it is necessary for farmers and consumers to engage in food politics in order to have a voice in a system that is increasingly controlled by corporate interests. For this reason, and also as a creative way to help finance the farm, Paul offers community members the opportunity to invest in the farm. Grazing Days is issuing three-year, fixed rate bonds with an annual interest rate of 4% in order to raise a total of $25,000 that will go towards keeping the farm operational and growing.

Our main man, Paul, schools Jordan about rotational grazing.

Paul is one of those people who inspire confidence, which is what has contributed to his success so far. We’re really keen to follow his progress! For more information, visit www.grazingdays.com.