Expanding his family’s feedlot business to Saskatchewan makes sense to Stuart Thiessen.When he looks out the window at Namaka Farms’ Strathmore, Alta., operation and sees a truck unloading Saskatchewan cattle and four others unloading Saskatchewan feed grain, he is confident in the decision.“The long-term trend is going to shift to Saskatchewan,” he said. “Alberta in my estimation is coarse grain deficient. Logically, things will shift.”A few years ago, Namaka began buying land south of Outlook in the South Saskatchewan Irrigation District.Some of that land is rented to others and some is being custom farmed, Thiessen said.Ultimately, it will be the site of a 36,000 head feedlot.“It’s a big deal for us,” Thiessen said. “It’s a very big investment for our operation.”Residents of the Rural Municipality of Rudy will get the details and have their say during a June 17 public meeting. Thiessen will be there and is prepared for what he might hear.“There are always people opposed,” he said. “Some are philosophically opposed. Public scrutiny is good.”Thiessen will need their co-operation to spread manure from the feedlot.Assuming that the business meets all the environmental requirements, the lot will begin with 6,000 or 12,000 head and grow to 36,000. If it does, it would be the largest feedlot in the province.The Outlook area was chosen for access to water and proximity to a major centre. The actual site was selected for topography, slope and its location on a primary grid road.Thiessen said his brother would run the Saskatchewan operation.David Stuart, president of the Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association, said the industry would welcome another player.“I think any time we have any kind of expansion in the livestock industry, it’s a good move,” he said.Although the cattle industry has struggled since BSE was discovered in 2003, Stuart said the feeding sector has always had its highs and lows. It’s always a gamble to build a feedlot, he said.Stuart agreed it’s logical to establish a feedlot in Saskatchewan where land prices are cheaper.“There’s been land down in Lethbridge, in the heavy irrigation, sold for $1 million,” he said.Stuart added that the Alberta feeding industry was built on subsidies.“It’s really exciting to see a company coming in here not with subsidies, that we know of, with a sound business plan to make it work,” he said. “If they’re willing to take a gamble, good for them.”Another large Alberta player, Cor Van Raay, has purchased a significant amount of land west of Outlook near Conquest. But his view on the potential for the Saskatchewan feeding business differs from Thiessen’s.“There is no room for any feedlots right now,” he said. “We have overcapacity of feedlots in Western Canada.”Van Raay said he will not build a feedlot on his Saskatchewan land.“I bought it because I like farming,” he said.
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