By RUDI HEMPE
CELS News Editor and Reporter
Don Minto is one lucky farmer.
He and his wife, Heather, have the use of 285 acres of prime farmland with views of both the East and West passages of Narragansett Bay. They have a historic house, several outbuildings and gobs of two and four-footed critters scurrying all about. Out in their pastures, there are about 80 head of beef cattle which don’t need pampering.
And yet they don’t have to pay any property taxes.
The Mintos are the long-time caretakers of the Watson Farm in Jamestown, one of two prime historic farms in southern Rhode Island that are owned and preserved by a non-profit, Boston-based organization called Historic New England.
And while Minto, a URI alum, is surrounded by things historic, he is heading up a group that has an eye to the future.
Minto is president of the Rhode Island Meat Cooperative Inc., whose aim is to market Rhode Island raised meat products to a small but growing population that is increasingly wary of relying on out-of-state foods.
Minto specifically is interested in selling grass-fed beef which studies show can be healthier than grain-fed beef that in supermarket meat cases throughout the country. Grass-fed cattle have meat that is higher in omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid, notes Minto. Comparison studies, including one by the Union of Concerned Scientists, show that cattle raised on grain have more total fat, saturated fat and calories.
The knock on grass-fed beef is that the meat can be tougher than what most Americans are used to. In addition, grass-fed cattle grow slower, breed later and have less yield. But Minto is specializing on raising Red Devon cattle which he feels addresses all of the problems. He already sells beef to a limited number of families and the purpose of the meat cooperative is to expand the market.
The cooperative is intended to handle other meat products including grain-fed beef, lamb and pork. Poultry is a possibility too. The cooperative is just starting up and one of the first tasks is to write the bylaws, says Minto, who notes that progress may be slowed because it is spring and farmers are extra busy.
Inspiration across the road
The inspiration for the meat cooperative lies across North Road from Watson Farm at the Dutra Farm. Joe and Jessie Dutra own the 141-acre spread that originally was called the Wanton Farm.
Dutra Farm is one of five dairy farms that formed the Rhode Island Dairy Farms
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Cooperative which now produces the highly popular Rhody Fresh Milk line of dairy products.
The milk cooperative was started when the five dairy farms each chipped in $25,000, the USDA provided a $540,000 grant and the RI Economic Development Corporation provided support too. A sophisticated marketing program was developed and the rest is history.
Dutra, also a URI alumnus, had hoped to start a cooperative 15 years ago but no one was interested. With dairy farms rapidly disappearing in the state, with taxes steadily climbing and with traditional farming families losing interest in that way of life, Dutra and others decided to give the cooperative a try five years ago. The venture is now two years old and the next step is to see how other dairy farms can climb aboard.
Rhody Fresh originally was available in only a handful of independent stores but customers kept asking for it and so the major supermarkets now stock it as well—without charging a placement fee. One advantage of the milk products is that they have a long shelf-life. The milk is shipped to a Connecticut processing plant a couple times a week and is distributed onto store shelves the next day.
Dutra says he is encouraged about the future of dairy farming in the state provided the farmers maintain cooperative mindset.
“When I graduated from URI (in 1972) there were 90 dairy farms in Rhode Island. Now there are 17,” says Dutra. “I believe the time is right for the cooperative. We have a responsibility to have as good a product as we can have,” he adds.
Rhody Fresh represents 2-5 percent of the milk sales in the state and so it may not be a big threat to the huge out-of-state milk producers. But there could be a point in the future when the big operators might flex their muscles at Rhody Fresh, a prospect that has some farmers concerned.
Rhody Fresh is now being used in Brown University dining halls, thanks in large part to the efforts of Brown alumna Louella Hill who has her degree in environmental studies. Hill is executive director of Farm Fresh Rhode Island, a non-profit set up to link farmers and buyers in order to build a sustainable food system. Brown was a partner in setting up Farm Fresh Rhode Island (as were the EPA, the state Division of Agriculture and the RI Foundation). Now Hill is working on getting URI to use the milk in its dinning services –three retail stores operated by URI already stock the milk.
Back across the road
Back across the road at Watson Farm, Minto waxes poetically about his herd of Red Devons which he terms “the gem of cattle. They are really prime beef on grass.”
He and his wife have set up a program using innovative fencing and grazing systems that are being used in New Zealand. They also are involved in a program to revitalize their own herd genetics, identifying superior genetics for cattle in grass-fed operations. (continued...)
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