Katrina McQuail

Katrina McQuail is the owner of Meeting Place Organic Farm in Huron County, Ontario, Canada. This pastoral property includes rolling hills, orchards, ponds, and most importantly, cattle, pigs, and chickens. Raised on the very same piece of land, she has been the primary steward since 2016. Katrina focuses on quality of life for herself and for the animals that are part of her diverse livestock operation. She sells direct-to-consumer and wholesale, keeping in mind the economics of local food for her customers, as well as her bottom line. She collaborates with other producers in the area as well as a local non-profit to bolster their local foodshed.

How do you define your Good Meat® values?

My Good Meat values are a bit of everything. I raise our livestock as part of our carbon-sequestering and regenerative practices, which include grass-fed, rotational grazing, and pastured livestock. I believe in using as much of the animal as possible, so we encourage our customers to try parts of the animal they might not be familiar with and also work with customers and our butcher to try and accommodate special requests for things like heads or skin. Core to everything I do is the humane treatment and deep respect for the animals in my care and the land I steward.

Why do you raise meat that aligns with those values?

I raise meat that aligns with those values because I can’t imagine doing it any other way.

How did you become a Good Meat® producer?

I guess you’d say I was born into it? My parents started the farm in 1973 and quickly realized that they didn’t want to farm the way a lot of other folks were headed. They had an engagement calf instead of rings and were gifted their first ewes as a wedding present. They bought a team of horses instead of a tractor and quickly stopped spraying the apple orchard on the farm. So by the time I came along in the 1980’s, they had already made the transition to organic, supporting the creation and implementation of the Canadian Organic Standard.

When I was little I enjoyed romping around the farm and helping my parents out. Then as a tween and teenager, my sister and I started our meat chicken enterprise and helped out with the farm CSA garden. While away at school, I would come home in the summers to help out and then I’d farm sit for my parents while they traveled. I came home in 2009 and 2010 and ran the market garden for a couple of seasons before deciding in 2013 to move back and take over the farm as part of our family farm succession plan.

What do you raise/sell in regards to meat?

I currently raise completely grass-fed and finished beef cattle, pastured pigs, pastured meat chickens, and laying hens. I currently work with a couple of other farmers to provide our customers with grass-fed and finished lamb, goat, and duck.

Describe the approach/practice/philosophy of your operation.

I want the entire farm to be sustainable - which definitely includes the environmental aspect, but also the quality of life for me and my family, and my staff; Economically for all of us, as well as for the community and our customers. I want our animals to have the best lives they can and to produce nutrient-dense, flavorful, and enjoyable meat for our community.

What is one thing you wish more consumers knew about raising livestock for food?

Probably just that it isn’t nearly as romantic and picturesque as social media makes it out to be. There are a lot more bodily fluids than you could possibly imagine, especially if you have any animals giving birth. It isn’t sexy, but it’s incredibly rewarding. I feel so lucky to witness and assist with all sorts of unique and special moments.

What meat, or meat dish, do you eat most regularly and what do you eat for a special occasion?

The meat dish that I eat the most regularly is pasta bolognese with our grass-fed and finished beef. When I was growing up we used ground lamb because that was the meat that we had on hand.

For a special occasion, it totally depends on the occasion. We generally eat chicken in place of turkey. We often eat cured and smoked hams as they are a family favorite. More recently I’ve been doing lamb as a treat since we don’t have as much of it around.

What is one of your biggest challenges as a Good Meat producer?

I think one of the two biggest challenges right now is the climate change that is occurring. At the best of times, farming is constantly shifting and changing because working within a living system with living beings is by nature variable and impossible to replicate time after time. But, that being said, things used to be more constant and consistent. You could count more on the weather, which is dramatically changing. In my lifetime of living here on the farm, it has changed dramatically and is more erratic and extreme.

The second one is isolation and loneliness. I am an extrovert and though I love my work, I also at times find it incredibly isolating. So, I am working on ways of making the day-to-day of the farm more community-incorporating so that I get to spend time with people and share the farm with them.