We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Both the Turner and North Harlem Hutterite Colonies will soon be in the egg production business. After realizing that diversification was necessary to remain viable in the agricultural markets, Colony officials studied their options and hatched a plan. Although egg production on a small scale is one of the oldest animal farming enterprises in recorded history—according to the Pennsylvania State University’s Extension Service—the two new facilities in Blaine County will not be small scale.
The Turner Colony operation, which plans to be up and running by the end of June, will house 30,000 hens and projects production of upward to 28 pallets of eggs, approximately 10,000 eggs per pallet, every ten days.
According to Turner Colony’s Financial Manager, Justin Hofer, the hens are due to populate the barn sometime around the end of March or June. Their arrival will depend on flock growth cycles at Loring Colony, the entity that will be supplying the pullets for the Turner operation.
“We partnered with Loring Colony to grow our pullets. A pullet will typically begin laying after 18 ½ to 19 weeks and will remain productive for 85-90 weeks,” reports Hofer. “We’ve already purchased a trailer to truck the birds from Loring.”
As the hens reach their productivity limits, the barn will be cleaned, disinfected, and any repairs made before housing another batch of hens so that the cycle can continue. Eventually, the Turner Colony hopes to grow their own pullets. “We were told that our biggest bottleneck will likely be availability of pullets since there aren’t that many growers, so down the road, we plan to expand our operation to grow our own,” Hofer said.
Although the barn itself was designed by Envirotech, a Canadian company in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the construction is being completed by a South Dakota business: WS Construction Management.
“Envirotech teamed up with WS Construction Management, and in the last five years, that partnership has built quite a few livestock production systems in Montana. They’re a nice group of people out of Sioux City,” Hofer stated.
Envirotech fabricated the Turner Colony barn’s ventilation, heating and cooling, feeding, watering, and housing systems, as well as recommended nest and egg gathering systems. The entire system comes with considerable automation, and Hofer suggested that one person can single-handedly manage the barn by investing three hours a day feeding and caring for the birds. Even the mill technology can be operated from the manager’s cell phone.
“We needed an entity that is able to be operated by a smaller work crew since our resources in that area are limited. So, there’s a mill built right in, and we’ll be milling our own feed right on site. This feed mill will not only supply our laying operation but our smaller cow/calf and pig operations. We already grow our own barley and wheat, enough that will easily supply food for the barn. We’ll just be selling less grain on the commodity market,” Hofer shared. “The possibilities are endless.”
Hofer went on to identify the operation’s manager as Rylan Hofer. “He’s a young man, but he’ll do fine with this large responsibility. Although the egg collection, stacking, and palletizing processes are all automated, Rylan will need some extra man-power to transport the eggs into refrigeration units for storage until they are shipped out, preserving their freshness.”
Hofer reported that equipment has been arriving daily; however, their Vencomatic aviary system, which will be coming from Holland, is still two-three weeks out. On December 31, the day scheduled for an interview, Hofer had to cancel in order to retrieve a shipment from a freight line warehouse in Havre. “Some of the shippers won’t deliver to Turner, so we have to go pick up the freight ourselves. However, the nesting system will get delivered direct to our location off Highway 241,” Hofer explained.
Mimicking a natural environment, the Vencomatic system promises to provide a comfortable and stimulating environment in which the poultry can thrive. In such a system, “birds can move freely and express their natural behaviors more effectively, enhancing their welfare. They can scratch and dust bathe in the litter area, sleep on perches, lay eggs in safe, dark nests, and eat and drink within the system,” claim Vencomatic representatives.
Although the hens will be caged, such a system allows them to be classified as free range. “This won’t entirely be a cage-free system, but in order to meet Prop 12 and abide by other regulations, we have to set minimum space requirements for egg-laying hens, pass inspections from the Humane Society, and keep a veterinarian on call. These policies are intended to ensure healthy farming systems in favor of industrial confinement operations,” Hofer clarified.
In 2018, California voters passed Proposition 12 (Prop 12), which prohibits the sale of pork, veal, and egg products unless they are produced in compliance with certain housing requirements. Also known as the Farm Animal Confinement Initiative, Prop 12 sets forth standards aimed at enhancing the welfare of farm animals. As of January 1, 2024, all producers of egg-laying hens, breeding pigs, and/or veal calves, as well as distributors of covered products intended for sale in California, must possess a valid Prop 12 Certificate of Compliance. The standard mandates specific housing conditions for the covered animals, emphasizing freedom of movement, cage-free design, and minimum floor space.
Because the eggs produced in Blaine County will be transported to a company called Dakota Cage Free located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, before they are graded, packaged, and shipped to multiple states, the Prop 12 Certificate of Compliance enables those eggs to be sold in California and other states with similar restrictions.
“Dakota Cage Free is a supply point, so we’ll either truck the eggs to South Dakota ourselves or hire that done. The Dakota layer outfit had the opportunity to broaden their supply line in various markets, so they reached out to us about the prospect of an egg facility, and here we are,” Hofer said.
Hofer further reported that four other layer barns will be located in Montana. Besides the Turner facility, there is a layer barn at Hilldale Colony, one at North Harlem, another at Loring/East Malta, and a fifth at Wolf Point.
As the interview was closing, Hofer promised to fly his drone to capture some aerial photographs but wouldn’t disclose the name of the poultry enterprise. Therefore, the name of Turner’s new egg production facility will remain a secret for now. It will replace their smaller operation, which supplied eggs to local grocery stores and to some schools in Hays/Lodgepole, Turner, and the Fort Belknap area.
