Blue Ridge Farms
Blue Ridge, AB.
Meet the Brett and Jillian Byers & family of Blue Ridge Farms northwest of Edmonton, Alberta.
About Us
We are a family, a farm, and interactive members of our local community. As a young expanding family, we have been growing our dream of producing delicious, local, healthy, and clean food. Our farming roots stem back many generations and have created a mentality that respects the animals, the land, and our health conscious consumer’s desire for home-raised meats. Blue Ridge Farms is based on the notion that dedication and attention to detail lead to a quality product.
We have been farming just outside Blue Ridge, AB. for nine years. They farm in partnership with Brett's parents, carrying on the family farming legacy. They have been focusing their efforts on raising their three young children, developing and improving the land, and growing their 400+ cow & calf herd.
We have expanded the farm business and support our local community by creating a farm-gate option to supply the local community with farm-fresh meat and eggs. Check out the Blue Ridge Farms website.
Defining Sustainability
To us sustainability means putting down roots, building community and giving back to that community.
It means working the land in a way that it will be better and healthier each year because, ultimately, we are farming for our children, and their children.
It is also important for us to build a farm business that is profitable, and supports growth for the family, our employees, the land and cattle.
We share the same vision and heart as the CRSB, providing a way for consumers to connect with their local, certified sustainable beef farmers. We love this, and are excited to be able to work together.
~ Jillian Byers, Blue Ridge Farms
Why we became a certified sustainable ranch
We are a certified sustainable ranch, having originally participated in a pilot project with McDonalds pilot that lead to the development of the CRSB's sustainability standards and certification program. Our farm also has an Environmental Farm Plan that helps identify improvements for our land.
In our experience, becoming certified teaches us a lot about our farm, opens doors to new opportunities, partnerships and experiences with others.
Our Sustainable Practices
There are many practices that we employ to ensure the sustainability of our ranch. We protect the health of the animals through vaccination programs, testing our feed to ensure it provides the right nutrition, including customized feed blends and supplementing the feed in winter months. We use selective breeding to maximize and improve the quality of our herd genetics.
We utilize modern equipment that maximizes our crop yields, time and efficiency.
But the most important thing on our farm is communication between our family and how the farm is operated. Separating family and business can be one of the hardest things about farming! We have regular meetings to help bridge thoughts and ideas from everyone, helps make the right improvements and ultimately get the job done in the best and safest way possible.
What we want you to know...
We love being able to bridge the gap between us as farmers and help you understand where your food comes from. Being able to answer questions and physically show you how beef is raised is the driving force behind our expanding meat business.
We (Canadian farmers and ranchers) are leaders. We produce beef that is nutritious, delicious and traced from birth to butcher. Canada has some of the best technology (Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID) for tracking data on each individual animal, and through our sustainability certification, we keep records of animal health treatments, shipping and sale of cattle.
We are very proud Canadian beef producers!
