We're delighted to have Brent Herrington of Herrington's Quality Butchers back on the podcast to discuss what consumers really want and how producers can deliver it. Brent shares how his years of experience on a dairy farm and working as a butcher have shaped the way he looks at lamb production and talks about what today's consumers are really looking for when buying lamb as well as some misconceptions that producers may have about what consumers actually want. Brent discusses how consumer trends have changed over the years and how they've influenced the way he markets and prepares lamb today. He also talks about developing strong relationships with producers, the characteristics he looks for in a lamb carcass to provide a great experience for both the butcher and the customer and some missed opportunities that can reduce the value of an otherwise good lamb. Brent shares how he maximizes all the opportunity of the lamb, the various ways he utilizes it, how to grow customer awareness and interest in Ontario Lamb and much more!

This week we have Bill McCutcheon joining Flock Talk to discuss how carcass-based marketing works for Ontario lamb producers. Bill talks about his business and his role on Ontarios lamb industry. Bill talks about the various options available to Ontario sheep producers for marketing lambs and where his program fits. Bill shares what the qualifications are for new producers with market-ready lamb to go through his program and the information producers receive to improve their flock. Bill talks about what producers are paid versus the live auction price and what keeps a producer committed to this marketing option despite market fluctuations plus much more!

For more OSF content, follow us on Social Media Instagram & Facebook: @OntarioSheepFarmers X : @OntarioSheep and Visit our Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ontariosheep.org⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://ontariosheep.org/)

This week we're joined by Yaser Al Qayem from Blue Lakes Premium Meets also known as Park Hill Meats to talk about their recent transition to federal inspection and how it's given them grated access to the Ontario lamb market. Yaser shares what federal inspection allows them to do that wasn't possible as a provincially inspected plant and talks about their plan to access new international market opportunities. Yaser also shares what a reliable of Ontario lamb supply looks like and the importance of consistency when serving larger markets. Yaser provides insight into the mutual benefits of producers building relationships when selling directly to processors and how his business builds trust and confidence in regards to payment processing. He also forecasts what opportunities he sees for Ontario lamb if processing capacity moves to more toward federal inspection plus much more!

For more OSF content, follow us on Social Media Instagram & Facebook: @OntarioSheepFarmers X : @OntarioSheep and Visit our Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ontariosheep.org⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://ontariosheep.org/)