HyLife, which had a barn passed in the municipality in 2020, is looking to build three more. One, known as Woodford Feeders, would be located on SE 1/4 15-5-19 WPM about two and a half miles southeast of Minto, and close to the borders of Boissevain-Morton and Prairie Lakes. The other two are in the vicinity of Elgin. Blanton Feeders is planned for five miles northeast of the town on 13-6-21 WPM and the other, Pappy Feeders, on the SE 1/4 of 23-5-21 WPM, about five miles southeast of Elgin. Each is a 10,000-grower/finisher operation.
Mealy said they held one hearing for all three of the projects at the same time for a number of reasons. They were similar in many respects, and many people who spoke said their comments held true for all three. It was easier to get all of the people together at once, especially during COVID times.
“We felt it was beneficial to deal with all of them at the same time. The process for a conditional use hearing is all set out for us by the government. The technical review, you could do them all at once. The people from HyLife could speak about them all at the same time, how they would deal with manure and smell, they were all the same for all three. The only things different were a few details, like what roads they would use.”
Each barn passed its technical review, which is why they progressed to the conditional use stage. This is done by a panel from the province, who look at different aspects of an intensive livestock project. As Mealy explained, there are about 15 different departments involved, including engineering, environmental, water stewardship and others. She said there were no concerns about any of the HyLife barns.
“In the technical review, they are very in depth.”
In each case, HyLife would be creating a three-row shelterbelt. Mealy said they use an arborist to find the trees best suited to the situation. They will also have a cement underground storage spot in each to hold the manure. Both of these developments will help control the smell. As for manure management, they will have to wait three years before they can spread the manure on fields.
Mealy added they have offered to help with maintenance of roads, as they will be running trucks on them. How much would be part of negotiations if the conditional use passes.
Some of the concerns from the public included damage to roads, smell and use of water, the reeve stated.
One opponent is Don Fraser, a native of Fairfax who now lives in Texas. He still owns some land in the area and says he wants everyone in the province to prosper.
One of his concerns is that HyLife has foreign ownership, mostly in Asia. He compares it to Apple, which is said to be headquartered in California, but for tax purposes is headed in the Channel Island of Jersey. Fraser said this means benefits will be limited, but damages could be limitless.
“The corporate playbook focuses on the positives but fails to cover the negative issues or if they do so, the corporate types rely on studies from consultants, government reports etc. to paint a rosy picture,” Fraser stated. “Corporate types are trained to re-direct, provide ambiguous answers and move on to the next question.”
“My experience in the business world – ‘a few people will benefit locally, but the majority of people will not.’  Short term the effects may be positive – slightly higher prices for grain that will help garner the support the farmers and will gain a lot of support. There will be residents who complain about the smell but the benefits of the many outweigh the concerns of the few. The wear and tear on the roads – let’s face it. The money for roads that has been offered by the corporate pig companies will be a drop in the bucket; the roads would be passable in springtime at best. Trucks supplying feed and delivering pigs for sale will mess up the gravel roads and municipalities will be left with the challenge of fixing them. Local taxes will increase to pay for the damage to the roads.”
Fraser used the example of Iowa, saying Iowa Select Farms started small, but soon grew in the 1990’s. People became upset with the same problems many complain about with swine projects in Manitoba like smell and water quality concerns. However, Fraser said a combination of willing politicians, well placed donations and good salesmanship, among other reasons, helped keep them developing. He pointed to an article by Charlie Mitchell and Austin Frerick called Hog Barons as a must-read on the subject.
Fraser said this area is being targeted by companies due to it having feed to sell, water available and regulatory loopholes. He would like to see municipalities hold off these decisions until they do more research and the decision-making needs to be more transparent. He feels it needs to be dealt with now before it goes too far.
“This issue needs to be addressed now and not years from now when the commercial pig industry has destroyed the farmland, the water resources, and the community. The topic and issues are complex. This decision is big and will impact future generations. The information collection needs to be transparent and evaluated thoroughly by members of the community. We need to review the information from all angles and read/listen to the advice of residents of other communities.”
Mealy said Grassland takes concerns seriously. In the Elgin area, the province said there is a lot of water in the aquifer, and the town’s needs would always come first. She added people often do not realize how much water is used by already existing cattle operations. Barns have to get water from sustainable sources.
As for foreign ownership, people have to look at everything in perspective. Many companies we deal with have foreign stakeholders and we think nothing of it. A former economic development officer, she said many in that position are out looking for foreign investment in their communities.
“I prefer if profits stay at home. It comes down to balance. If it brings jobs to the area, it is part of a diversified economy.”
She said each barn would add 2.5 jobs and with the one already passed, that would be nine jobs for the Elgin area. They would source 9,000 tonnes of feed, paying above average for it. The amount the municipality would make from taxes would depend on assessment, but it could be considerable.
Council did not make a decision on the barns at the hearing, but met the next night. The three barns were passed pending undisclosed conditions.

by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff