The Manitoba Egg Farmer Learning and Research Centre officially opened on April 26
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
A new space opened in Manitoba designed to bring multiple voices in the ag sector together.
The Manitoba Egg Farmer Learning and Research Centre officially opened on April 26 near the University of Manitoba’s Gleanlea Research Station.
The 22,000-square-foot facility is a joint venture between the university, Manitoba Egg Farmers, and the federal and provincial governments through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.
The centre features two bio-secure barns; one free-run aviary and one with enriched housing. It also has egg quality and post-mortem labs, and three controlled environment research rooms.
It’s focused on highlighting and advancing egg production research, while showing visitors what egg farmers do. The public can tour the facility as of May 1.
“As I get older, I like helping people understand what we do,” Kurt Siemens, a director with Manitoba Egg Farmers, told CBC News. “That’s why we’re so passionate about this facility here, because we bring the public in and show what we do and show how proud we are of what we produce.”
Because of biosecurity measures, the public typically isn’t able to visit egg farms.
But the new facility’s setup allows for this kind of educational opportunity, said Catherine Kroeker-Klassen, chair of Manitoba Egg Farmers.
"Not only can they see those hens in their housing, but they can also see the journey that the egg takes from where it's laid in those nesting boxes,” she said, Steinbach Online reported. “They can see it move through the conveyor belts and into the egg packing machine, and then all stacked up and into the refrigerated cooler room to wait for pickup."