Connect OnFarm Celebrates Two Plus Years of Strong Business Growth

A new company with fresh approaches based on grass roots farmer relationships is blazing a new trail across the livestock feed business. Connect OnFarm, based in Lethbridge, Alta., has surpassed the milestone of two years in business and has enjoyed a strong run of increasing growth, based on expanding relationships with a number of major farming operations both north and south of the border.

“We could not be happier with how things have gone so far,” says Cal Ginter, who co-founded Connect OnFarm along with partner Wes Friesen. Rounding out the team is office manager Cleuza Friesen. “For us this business is all about supporting the real people and real farmers on the front line who make it work everyday,” says Ginter. “We have been fortunate to have the support of excellent customers. We have benefitted from outstanding suppliers who we have been able to rely on from day one. We are grateful to work in farming and we’re excited about the future.”

Connect OnFarm offers a range of services based around a focus on helping farming operations with nutrition programs for livestock, with an emphasis on pigs and poultry. It provides a full range of consulting services and also supplies a variety of product options, including Connect OnFarm custom label products. A key product focus is bio-based options such as multi-carbohydrase enzymes, yeasts and nucleotides that offer a range of efficiency and performance benefits. These products also fit the shifting expectations of todays marketplace, for example by providing options to help reduce reliance on antibiotics and by providing environmental advantages. “It is an exciting time to be in this business,” says Wes Friesen. “There has been a lot of change, along with fresh challenges and new opportunities for innovation. All of this keeps us focused and always looking ahead. We see a lot of potential for farmers to get more efficiency and value from their production systems.”

Customers of Connect OnFarm have earned industry recognition for their progress in reducing reliance on antibiotics, through nutrition programs that take advantage of the latest bio-based product advances. Connect OnFarm works with a substantial and growing number of farming operations in Alberta as well as an expanding customer base in Montana. “Our location is excellent to service customers on both sides of the border,” says Cleuza Friesen. “We have very good supplier relationships in both Alberta and Montana. We look forward to continuing to build our business by working as part of the team with farmers.”

 Walbern Agri Systems Turns 25

Congratulations to Walbern Agri Systems (1991) Ltd, who are celebrating their 25th year in business. Join them for a open house Friday May 13th.

Champions Of Animal Care Recognized with AFAC Awards of Distinction

Leading. Innovating. Communicating. Turning ideas into action. All of this and more was exemplified by several champions of farm animal care in Alberta who were recognized with Awards of Distinction at the recent Livestock Care Conference, hosted by Alberta Farm Animal Care (AFAC), March 22-23 in Olds, Alta.

“Each of the award winners are very deserving and have played a significant role in advancing farm animal care in Alberta,” says Dr. Angela Greter, AFAC Executive Director. “They represent the best values of our industry and serve as examples for others to follow.”

The Award of Distinction for Communication was presented to Ric Henderson, the Director of Community & Protective Services with Red Deer County. Henderson has been a champion for raising awareness of the province’s fleet of Emergency Livestock Handling Trailers, which provide a unique and valuable resource to support the care and welfare of livestock. Red Deer County is home to the first of these specialized trailers introduced in the province, which has served as a model for fifteen others since added to the fleet. Henderson has devoted a lot of personal time to taking the trailer around the province to a variety of events to show it to people and talk about the important role it plays.

The Award of Distinction for Industry Leadership was awarded to Dylan and Colleen Biggs of TK Ranch, in recognition of a long-term commitment to animal welfare and sustainably produced food, which has served as a model approach inspiring the progress of many others. This has included hosting clinics on low stress livestock handling, promoting a range of additional best practices, and always taking time to help others improve.

The Award of Distinction for Innovation was presented to Jenna Griffin, Industry Development Officer for Egg Farmers of Alberta. Griffin has been the driving force behind several significant enhancements for Alberta’s egg and poultry industries, including her tenacious work in the area of euthanasia that has directly resulted in the development of innovative new technology and improved processes. One highlight has been Griffin’s involvement playing an instrumental role in the completion of a two-year project to design a new Modified Atmospheric Chamber (MAC) Cart, which provides egg farmers in Alberta access to advanced gassing technology. Another has been her efforts to advance the evaluation of a progressive Low Atmospheric Pressure Stunning (LAPS) system. •