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In BC I don't think it's a regional thing so much as it depends on the product and the very different breeds of cattle and their respective acreage range and feed requirements. I have acquaintances in both the dairy and the beef cattle industries in BC and they're typically called Dairy Farms (all dairy products) and Cattle or Beef Ranches (all meat products) but I've also heard the beef ranches occassionally being called farms too. Cattle ranches are typically bigger, more spread out for browsing range than dairy farms are. We have a lot of dairy farms in the lower mainland and a lot more cattle ranches up in the interior where the cattle have so much more free range available to them.
I always thought it was an east-west thing. Growing up, everyone had a 'farm' and it was generally understood that 'ranches' were really big places, involving thousands of acres, cowboys and cattle out on the range.
But then it began to be understood that a lot of westerners were calling their small acreages a 'ranch' and some of the lustre came off that word around here. We kind of thought then that if that wasn't just like those Albertans, to call a small farm a big name. More recently around here, people have begun to call their twenty acres a 'ranch.' But most people, even those with many thousands of acres still call their farm a farm around here.
In BC I don't think it's a regional thing so much as it depends on the product and the very different breeds of cattle and their respective acreage range and feed requirements. I have acquaintances in both the dairy and the beef cattle industries in BC and they're typically called Dairy Farms (all dairy products) and Cattle or Beef Ranches (all meat products) but I've also heard the beef ranches occassionally being called farms too. Cattle ranches are typically bigger, more spread out for browsing range than dairy farms are. We have a lot of dairy farms in the lower mainland and a lot more cattle ranches up in the interior where the cattle have so much more free range available to them.
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Yes, I should of been clearer. Dairy farms I always call farms, not ranches. Beef/Cattle I call ranches. When I think of a ranch, I think of cattle being rounded up.
I always thought it was an east-west thing. Growing up, everyone had a 'farm' and it was generally understood that 'ranches' were really big places, involving thousands of acres, cowboys and cattle out on the range.
But then it began to be understood that a lot of westerners were calling their small acreages a 'ranch' and some of the lustre came off that word around here. We kind of thought then that if that wasn't just like those Albertans, to call a small farm a big name. More recently around here, people have begun to call their twenty acres a 'ranch.' But most people, even those with many thousands of acres still call their farm a farm around here.
In the end what really matters to me, is that we keep a strong Dairy and Cattle industry in Canada. I ONLY buy Canadian, unless there is no other choice OR it's an imported cheese that simply isn't made here.
In the end what really matters to me, is that we keep a strong Dairy and Cattle industry in Canada. I ONLY buy Canadian, unless there is no other choice OR it's an imported cheese that simply isn't made here.
Likewise for me too, Nat. Not only because I want to support our own economy but also because our meat and dairy products are free of many of the steroids and other medications that are allowed in certain other countries. Additionally, something else that matters to me is that Canada raised meats (beef, bison, pork, lamb and poultries) all looks and tastes different and better to me and I've grown accustomed to that.
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More recently around here, people have begun to call their twenty acres a 'ranch.' But most people, even those with many thousands of acres still call their farm a farm around here.
