Mobile slaughterhouse for the Big Island

[terracore]

A new co-op for small producers to get animals humanely slaughtered and butchered:

http://hawaiitribune-herald.com/news/loc...ghterhouse

http://hawaiiislandmeat.com/

[james weatherford]

This is very good news.
Thanks to the people who have been working for a while to bring it this far.

[lavalava]

Just what we need - something to encourage more ranchland. With a finite number of acres for food production can Hawaii really afford to put more land into ranching?

[VancouverIslander]

Smaller producers are often those who produce a variety of farmed goods, often with a primary goal of self sustainability. This is a good thing.

Just call me Mike

[james weatherford]

The land/food equation on this island is one of quite large tracts of land that could produce food and is instead over run by invasive species; even as most food is imported. The constraint is not available land. What is missing are people willing and able to do the work, and the capital and infrastructure to bring that food to the local market.

Land is already being used for livestock production. Local demand for meat products far exceeds supply very much because the necessary capital and infrastructure have not been available.

This project addresses the capital and infrastructure aspect of agriculture development.

[lavalava]

Meat production is a waste of water - using 5-10 times more water than vegetables, are these ranchers using catchment or municipal sources? Also, It takes about 20 pounds of grain to produce a single pound of beef - I do not see flowing fields of grains around here so we must be importing that feed (not very self sustainable). An acre of beef produces 15 pounds of usable protein while an acre of rice produces 224 pounds, and soybeans produce 263. I do not see any rice paddies or soy fields around here which leaves me with the true winner in calories per acre - tubers. Yams produce 1.3 tons of usable protein per acre, 1.8 tons for sweet potatoes and the grand champion - 3.6 tons per acre for Cassava!

Now I know folks love their steaks and burgers and as a result habits will not change anytime soon. However, the 'sustainable' claim is a bunch of hogwash used by those who would rather ranch than farm. Smaller producers should learn how to butcher their own meat if they are truly interested in self sustainability.

[MarkP]

I own property that gets feet of rain measured by the dozen. It's difficult to grow stuff because of all the rain. If a cow could find sufficient forage on my property to grow and provide meat, it would be a win-win situation. I would use a mobile slaughtering and processing operation.

[knieft]

lavalava,

You do realize that cattle on this island are primarily grass-fed...?

Shipping the cattle to be fattened on grains in Canada and sent back here as Angus beef is more than absurd, but it does lend credence to the idea that beef production on the island is not based on grains and feedlots.

The sheep grazing in our orchards fertilize the fruit trees, prune the bottoms and vines, eat the vegetation between the trees, reproduce at will, rarely need any additional water (catchment if need be during a drought), and are robust without "feed". The need for commercial fertilizer and fossil-fueled mowing is nearly eliminated.

A mobile slaughterhouse would be a cool addition to the options for folks here. I can tell you it is _work_ to take a sheep from pasture to kitchen and we have done it many many times. Depending on the price, I would consider hiring the mobile slaughterhouse. And it would allow folks who have no experience slaughtering to add livestock to their aina without the hassle.

That wild pig population would be even more tempting to harvest as well given a mobile slaughterhouse.

"Hogwash" it is not.

Cheers,
Kirt

[lavalava]

Its all about maximizing what little space we have. Sure grass fed tastes better than grain or corn fed but the grass fed cattle require over three times as much acreage.

I used to live near guys who would go to all the trouble of hunting and then pay the slaughterhouse to take care of their deer/elk/moose. Always seemed funny to me, like if you wanted your meat in cute little packages all cut up by a professional, just go to the safeway man. Anyway the whole self sustainable trip is what caught my eye - if someone else is doing it for you - its not self sustainable.

[VancouverIslander]

While I agree that doing everything yourself is a noble goal, it's not for everyone. I'm quite happy to butcher my own deer, elk, moose or wild pig. Others maybe not so much. And honestly, while I can make my own pepperoni and sausage, I know a guy that just does a much better job of it and for the price it's a great deal.

While on the topic of grain or grass fed, where do you get your stats for 3x the acreage? Does this compare natural grass to genetically modified grain with applications of roundup?

Just call me Mike