CEYLON, Sask. – It took longer than expected, but Border Line Feeders is open for business and full of cattle.
And during its Feb. 18 grand opening, proponents of at least three other Saskatchewan feedlots will come for a tour to see how a group of local cattle producers parlayed an idea into reality.
Border Line, located about five kilometres south of Ceylon and 20 minutes away from a 24-hour port of entry to the United States, was five years in the making.
Experts have long said Saskatchewan is a logical place to feed more cattle and communities have been considering establishing large feedlots.
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Border Line president Keith Kaufmann said a small group of cattle producers first met in 2000 to discuss a feedlot. The company was incorporated the following year and planning proceeded.
Then, Canada’s first domestic case of BSE was discovered and those plans were put on hold.
“We lost about a year,” Kaufmann said. “Nobody knew what was going to happen.”
Shares were a tougher sell but eventually 326 investors raised more than $1.3 million. A group of five local credit unions came on board as the lenders for the $2.7 million project.
The feedlot also received grants from the South East Regional Economic Development Authority, the Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development Saskatchewan program and Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration.
Another year-long delay occurred when the first well dug on the property was dry and last June wet weather backed up construction for 23 days.
The first cattle arrived on Oct. 14, 2005, a month later than originally planned. The feedlot is now full to its current 7,000 head capacity.
“Most people are really glad to see it up and running after five years,” said general manager Ryan Thompson.
He said local support was key to the project. The shareholders are within a 100 kilometre radius of the facility and the seven employees are from the area: Thompson is originally from Carnduff, Sask., and moved back to Saskatchewan from a job as a nutritional consultant in Alberta’s feedlot industry.
The feedlot and its jobs have generated economic activity in nearby communities and created more traffic. It is on the highway and Thompson said locals and tourists stop in for tours.
Border Line includes 41 pens that can each hold 150 to 250 head. The cattle – mostly calves right now – are fed silage, hay and grain bought from local growers.
Well water is pumped to a reservoir and its quality is continually monitored.
Runoff from the feedlot moves into an evaporation pond near and slightly downhill from the pens.
Thompson said the nearest neighbour is about two kilometres east of the feedlot. He hasn’t received any complaints about odour.
“It smells better than empty pens and fresh wood,” he laughed.
Border Line has permits to eventually expand to 20,000 head. Thompson said that will likely be done in two stages, expanding to 12,000 and then 20,000.
“At this point we are strictly a custom feedlot,” he said. “Down the road we are looking at owning some cattle.”
However, getting the company established and making money is the first priority.
“We are definitely here to be a profitable company,” said Thompson. “That will probably take a couple of years.”
He isn’t concerned about competition for cattle as more feeding capacity comes on stream in the province.
“There are prime areas in Saskatchewan for expansion of the feeding industry,” said Thompson. “We need to grow and support each other.”
Issues facing all feedlots include finding qualified labour and paying competitive wages. The oil industry beckons not far from Ceylon but Thompson said a feedlot offers the rural lifestyle that many people want.
“They’re interested in feeding cattle and that’s what they want to do (for a living),” added Kaufmann.
