Barn Spotlight: Greenfield Farms
By Brett Ruffell
Features Poultry EquipmentNew broiler barn built for modular loading.
Cathy and Gerry Greenfield with their eldest son Steven and his wife Karaline. Not included in this photo is Cathy and Gerry’s other son Jim, who helps clean out and wash the barns
PHOTO CREDIT: greenfield Farms. Location: Hagersville, Ont.
Sector: Broilers
The business
Gerry and Cathy Greenfield entered the broiler business in 1988. Gerry originally had an off-farm job at Stelco but in 2006 he retired to focus solely on chicken production and cash cropping. The producers own quota for about 25,000 units, which they grow in two barns.
The need
The Greenfields built their first single-storey barn about 20 years ago, long before it became the standard for new barn builds in Ontario to accommodate modular loading. They did so at the time to make barn cleanouts simpler, since Gerry does most of the barn work himself. “Everybody laughed at me because it was more money then,” Gerry says. “And now it’s the norm, right?” A few years ago, the Greenfields decided their two-storey barn was becoming obselete and the time had come to replace it. They did so with a new single-storey facility.
Their new Genius computer system simplifies both barn management and audits. They liked it so much they had one installed in their older barn as well.
The Greenfields replaced and aging two-storey barn with the single-storey facility pictured here both to make barn cleanouts quicker and to accommodate modular loading.
The producers went with Butterfly feeders. Now, after they ship their chickens out they can empty their feeders simply by cranking them open.
The barn
The producers worked with Clark Ag Systems on the new barn, which includes tunnel ventilation and cool cells. In contrast, their older barn has 36 smaller fans. They also have a new Genius controller. The producers went with Butterfly feeders. Now, after they ship their chickens out they can empty their feeders simply by cranking them open. The biggest time-saver, Gerry says, is having to only worry about one level in either facility. “The other day, we cleaned out both barns in about four hours, removed the manure and blew them down.”
Barn Spotlight highlights new and renovated barns and hatcheries. Do you know of a good candidate to be featured? Let us know at poultry@annexweb.com.
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