It was 4-H projects that got Stan and Sarah Konschuh and family into Blonde d'Aquitaine cattle about 13 years ago, and it was comments from family, friends and neighbours about the quality of the meat from a few beef animals they processed each year that led them into the branded meat business.

Over the years, the Didsbury area family has established the name of Westlane Farms "Home of Naturally Lean Beef". Being producers of purebred cattle is still their main focus, but marketing quality meat produced by Blonde cattle genetics is a value-added venture that expands every year.

"We have people from the Northwest Territories to Labrador to the United States who visit our website and would like to buy meat, but it's trying to figure out how to get it there," says Sarah, a farm wife, mother, and realtor who takes on the marketing role for the family business. First, any meat to be shipped out of the provice has to be processed in a federally inspected plant, and if you can do that, then you still need a way to transport meat long distances and still preserve quality.

"For our own selves and others in the specialty meat business, we need to get organized and find a way to ship meat around the world," she adds. "The opportunity is there."

The Konschuhs run a 120-head cow herd including about 80 head of purebred cattle. Cattle that go into the Home Grown Naturally Lean Beef market range anywhere from halfbloods to purebred Blondes, all finished on the farm with no hormones or growth implants. "It's not organic, but it's natural," points out Stan. "And we feel more consumers now like to know where their beef is produced."

Along with direct farm sales, the Konschuhs also have an arrangement with a Didsbury family-run meat shop - MacKay's Country Meats, which on the beef side, carries only Home Grown Naturally Lean Beef.

"We approached them, they tried it, and they found instead of tubs of waste, they had only one tub of waste," says Sarah. It was much higher yielding.

Features of the Blonde genetics which are backed by carcass evaluation and lab results, include a finer boned animal, a higher meat yield percentage - up to 68% in the purebreds - less trim and more consistent yield.

"Our lab results showed a 100-gram serving had 10% less fat, 4% higher protein, lower calories and lower cholesterol, all features consumers are looking for," says Sarah.

Marketing is the challenge she says. It's a good product that people want, but the key is to get it into more meat shops and more retail outlets where consumers can find it.

"This is not cheap beef," says Sarah. "It is a cut above. But we have done our research and testing and been involved in various carcass competitions so we have built different levels of credibility. We know we have a good product."

The challenge is to expand meat sales while at the same time increasing the supply of meat, either on their own farm or through arrangements with other producers.

"It sells for a premium price because it is better meat," says Stan. "Our goal is not to be the biggest, but to supply a consistent, high quality, healthy product consumers want."