About Us
Meet Bill and Darlene Freding, the proud owners and operators of Southern Plus Feedlot and Okanagan`s Finest Angus Beef.
Four Generations of Knowledge And Experience In Raising Cattle
The story of OKANAGAN’S FINEST ANGUS BEEF really begins in the late 1800’s when Bill Freding’s great grandfather started raising cattle for the “stampeders” who followed the torturous route up the Chilkoot Trail in Canada’s Yukon Territory looking for gold. The Canadian government required those going to the Klondike Gold fields at the end of the Chilkoot to bring a year’s supply of food with them making the long and difficult trek even harder. As the “stampeders” had to travel through British Columbia in order to get to the gold fields, Bill’s great grandfather, saw a great business opportunity and jumped on it. Bill’s dad followed in the family footsteps, becoming a rancher and purveyor of fine cattle, as did Bill. Bill's wife Darlene hails from Nova Scotia, but having married Bill she soon learned to love the cowboy way when they ranched in the rugged Cariboo region of British Columbia. After many years Bill was finally able to realize his dream of owning his own feedlot. Darlene soon realized hers by scooping up some of the land for vineyards where she now grows some of the finest grapes in the world.
Bill Developed His Own Brand And It Is The Finest Beef Possible
Bill knew that while breeding and genetics are vital to the final product, how the cattle are finished is equally if not more important. At Southern Plus Feedlot (the largest feedlot in the province) customer’s cattle are fed to produce the finest possible beef given their genetics. Bill takes this a step farther with the cattle he chooses and feeds for his own brand OKANAGAN’S FINEST ANGUS BEEF. He hand picks the cattle from all over British Columbia according to breed, genetics, personal knowledge of how they were raised by the rancher and standards such as the knowledge that the cattle have been hormone and antibiotic free since birth.
Southern Plus Feedlot is located at the northern tip of the Sonoran desert whose dry, temperate climate is ideal for housing and feeding cattle.
The cattle are fed the finest quality hay, barley and corn grown on the sunny benchland of the South Okanagan along with world class wine grapes.
Cattle respond to stress and these are truly “contented cows” because of the excellent conditions they experience throughout their lives.
The staff at Southern Plus are highly trained in the welfare of animals and the cattle are always handled humanely and with kindness.
The cattle are processed in British Columbia in the most modern facilities resulting in the best possible beef products, OKANAGAN’S FINEST ANGUS BEEF.
So next time you are in a restaurant and see OKANAGAN’S FINEST ANGUS BEEF on the menu, enjoy it with a glass of superb Okanagan wine knowing that you are indulging in beef that has come from a long history of a family that knows and loves good beef and is delighted to share it with you.
More about Bill
Bill Freding was raised on a small cattle ranch near Princeton, B.C. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver in 1972 with a Master Of Science Degree (Ag Economics). He has held numerous industry positions: President of the British Columbia Association of Cattle Feeders; Director of B.C. Cattlemen's Association, 22 years; Founding Board Member of Investment Agriculture Foundation, 6 years; Board Member of Cattle industry Development Council, 7 years; and President of Ownership Identification Inc., 3 years.