Farm groups concerned about the image of agriculture gave a collective groan when Sunderland farmer Bill Denby posed on the front page of the National Post on Mar. 19, raising the carcass of a 1,000-pound decomposing steer high above his skid steer loader. The accompanying story outlined concerns about the provincial government ending subsidies for deadstock pickup.
Denby, who retails meat to cottagers from his farm in Kawartha Lakes, says that the “bad” publicity about agriculture doesn’t hurt. “My sales are doing fine and I’ve been front page all over the place,” he says, asserting that his “mostly urban” customers appreciate knowing that dead animals don’t end up in the food chain.