A well-known hog producer in Alberta is just about ready to raise an additional 4,100 pigs in his newly expanded operation.
Jurgen Preugschas, who farms near Mayerthorpe, Alta., recently unveiled the new 32,000 sq. foot barn, which will be located on a separate site from one of his other operations. He will be increasing his production by about 50 percent.
Preugschas, a former president of the Canadian Pork Council, said he chose to expand because of increased demand from Olymel processors in Western Canada.
He said he has a contract with Olymel for his custom-finished hogs, meaning he isn’t affected by fluctuating market prices.
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“We thought this was an opportunity to help them out and help the hog industry out and hopefully leave a few dollars in our pockets at the end of the day,” he said.
Preugschas said the barn will feature four rooms that will hold roughly 1,000 pigs per room. The rooms are bigger, he added, allowing the animals to run freely. He has also installed windows to allow in natural light.
“I think it’s good for animal welfare that they have a big area they can play in,” he said.
“It’s just the right thing to do.”
He said the design of the building keeps environmental impacts in mind while also keeping costs low. It is well insulated and features LED lighting.
One of his major inputs is electricity costs. He said with the provincial carbon tax factored in, he needed a way to keep costs down.
“We have to do what we can to control those costs as much as we can,” he said.
However, the expansion has been controversial for the area.
While the Natural Resources Conservation Board, an arm’s-length government organization that deals with agriculture disputes in Alberta, said it’s OK for the barn to go ahead, residents and the county government had raised concerns about its environmental impacts.
The ruling ultimately found that water contamination risks were low and that odour impacts would be trivial, though it also noted complainants didn’t have enough proof to back up their claims.
Preugschas said neighbours attended one of his open house sessions he held recently. He hopes there aren’t issues going forward.
“The proof will be in the pudding once we start operating,” he said.
“I don’t foresee any issues. We try to keep communication and try to talk with them as much as we can.”
He hopes to start production in the next few weeks if all goes as planned.
He encourages others to potentially look at the contract model for custom finishing. While the investment is high, he said risks are relatively low and the cash flow works.
“Keeping our plants running is critical for the economy and our country,” he said.
