Heartland Pork Management, a subsidiary of Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, has opened a breeding stock operation at Wood Mountain, Sask.
The unit is a $5.5 million, 1,200 sow barn that will supply hybrid stock to Heartland’s commercial production units.
The Elk Springs barn will use purebred breeding stock from Genex.
John LaClare, chief operating officer of Heartland, said the company decided to build the facility with its own money when a local share offering failed to reach its required minimum investment.
When fully operating, the facility will employ eight to 10 full-time staff.
Read Also
Agriculture ministers agree to AgriStability changes
federal government proposed several months ago to increase the compensation rate from 80 to 90 per cent and double the maximum payment from $3 million to $6 million
Heartland has completed three 2,500-sow commercial barns, has three more under construction and a fourth on the drawing board.
Dreyfus plans elevator
Saskatoon newsroom
Louis Dreyfus Canada will build a 20,000 tonne steel elevator at Glenavon, Sask., about 90 kilometres southeast of Regina.
The elevator is the first Louis Dreyfus facility to be located on a CN Rail line.
It will be able to load 52 rail cars in 10 hours, said a company news release. It has been designed to accommodate additional condominium storage space that can be leased to farmers.
The facility, at the junction of highways 47 and 48, is expected to open in August 1999. Staff are available now to accept grain, load dealer cars and arrange forward contracting.
The firm has five elevators operating or under construction in Western Canada and two others that are leased.
Seed firms work together
Saskatoon newsroom
Newfield Seeds Co. of Nipawin, Sask., and Wheat City Seeds of Brandon, Man., will be marketing their products under the name ProMark Seed.
Newfield, Wheat City and Riding Valley Agro are owned by the Swedish seed research and development company Svaloff Weibull.
ProMark Seed was formed from the former dealer networks of Wheat City and Newfield seeds. The network consists of 170 retail dealers and four company-operated retail stores.
ProMark has established a customer information phone service at 800-667-7312.
Canola refinery date set
Brandon bureau
HARROWBY, Man. – CanAmera Foods expects its new canola oil refinery to swing into production here next March.
Construction is on schedule for the $15.5 million expansion. The refinery will complement the canola crushing plant built at Harrowby in 1981.
The plant now processes 500,000 tonnes of canola each year and ships 200,000 tonnes of crude canola oil to be refined elsewhere. The new refinery will refine and bleach the annual crude oil production and also deodorize 150,000 tonnes annually to be sold as salad oil.
The project “re-affirms the company’s strategy of growth,” said Bill Gibson, CanAmera Western Canada general manager.
The Manitoba government said this month it will provide up to $259,350 to help cover infrastructure costs for the refinery. The money will come from the province’s rural economic development initiative, a program to help rural communities and entrepreneurs seize opportunities for economic growth.
The provincial money will be used mainly for upgrading water and effluent treatment at the Harrowby plant, said plant manager Kachig Anspikian. CanAmera plans to double the size of its water treatment facility while expanding its effluent treatment plant to make it a zero-discharge facility.
The Harrowby plant has bought more than $1 billion worth of canola from local producers since its start-up, said Manitoba rural development minister Len Derkach.
CanAmera Foods also has crushing plants in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., and Hamilton, Ont. It has oilseed crushing and refinery plants at Nipawin, Sask. and Altona, Man., and refineries in Toronto, Montreal and Wainwright, Alta.
Distribution deal made
Saskatoon newsroom
Millstreet Development Corp. has become the distributor of LorAl custom application equipment in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
LorAl manufactures equipment at Benson, Minnesota, and sells it across North America.
Its key products are for custom application machines for the retail fertilizer industry.
Under the new agreement, Millstreet will sell LorAl equipment at its Ag Depot outlets in Regina and Saskatoon in Saskatchewan and Brandon, Neepawa and St. Jean in Manitoba.
