Governments Invest in Expansion of Locally-Owned Poultry Processing Facility

Jan 13, 2016

The governments of Canada and Manitoba will support the expansion of a producer-owned poultry processing company in Blumenort with $2.5 million in funding, Dr. Doug Eyolfson, Member of Parliament on behalf of Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and Manitoba Agriculture, Food, and Rural, Development Minister Kostyshyn announced today.

Granny’s Poultry distributes fresh and frozen Manitoba chicken and turkey across the country, and is one of the largest food processors in the province. The company is implementing a $37 million plant expansion and renovation, which will allow them to grow their business and purchase new equipment for processing, chilling, packaging and grading poultry, and improving production efficiency.

Minister Kostyshyn noted this investment also supports the Manitoba government's goal of creating a $5.5 billion annual food processing industry by 2022, which is currently valued at $4.95 billion.

Granny's Poultry currently represents 188 producer-member owners who supply the company with hatching eggs, chickens and turkeys. The company is the sole processor of turkeys in the province and employs approximately 500 Manitobans, supporting the livelihood of poultry producers, breeders and hatcheries.

The expanded facility will provide an opportunity for up to 148 employees to upgrade their skills over the next two years through new training. Jobs and the Economy will further assist the $37 million plant upgrading through the provision of a secured, repayable Manitoba Industrial Opportunities Program (MIOP) term loan of $2.5 million. The MIOP program provides term loans to assist expanding businesses in Manitoba.

The federal and provincial governments are investing $176 million of cost-shared programming in Manitoba under Growing Forward 2, a five-year, federal-provincial-territorial policy framework to advance the agriculture industry, helping producers and processors become more innovative and competitive in world markets.

The Growing Value program provides financial assistance to existing agri-businesses that need to make changes to adapt to market forces and environmental considerations, to increase their ability to compete in domestic and international markets.

Source: AAFC

Video: You Be The Judge: Evaluating 8 Breeding Rams!

It's time for some honest feedback here at Ewetopia Farms! Today, we’re showing you all eight rams we used for breeding this year. Instead of just presenting them, we thought it would be fun to create a “Ram Report Card” — where we point out both their strengths and areas for improvement.

But here’s the twist: you be the judge! In the comments, let us know what you like about each ram and what you think could be improved. No ram is ever perfect, but every one of them brings something valuable to the flock. By sharing perspectives, we all learn more about what to look for in good breeding stock.

At Ewetopia Farms, we raise registered Suffolk and Polled Dorset sheep, focusing on high-quality genetics, structure, and friendly temperaments. Evaluating breeding rams is part of the bigger picture of building stronger flocks — and we’re excited to share the process with you.

If you enjoy seeing how we evaluate our animals, follow along by subscribing to our channel. We share daily insights into the joys and challenges of sheep farming here in Canada.