RAINY RIVER, Ont. – The Stratton Sales Barn, a key piece of infrastructure for Northwestern Ontario cattle farmers, is set for a facelift.
Friday’s announcement of $830,000 in non-repayable loans from FedNor will cover about half of the cost of a planned revamp that’s expected to boost annual cattle sales at the facility by more than 50 per cent.
More than 200 farmers across the region collectively sell about 4,000 heads of cattle through five annual sales at the farmer-owned barn, located about 30 kilometres east of Rainy River.
That would see total yearly sales jump from about $4 million to $6 million, said Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Marcus Powlowski at a virtual funding announcement Friday.
“I know agriculture’s a really important part of the economy out there in the western part of my riding,” he said. “We’re certainly happy to be able to support the cattle producers in the region, to help you maintain your farms and hopefully increase your prosperity.”
The $1.6 million project will include significant upgrades to the barn, the installation of underground water lines and a new watering system, modernized penning and handling facilities, and a new sales building.
“Really from the ground up, it’s going to be a totally new facility,” said Louis Bujold, president of the Rainy River Cattlemen’s Association, during a virtual announcement of the federal funding Friday.
The changes are expected to have a major economic impact, boosting sales at the barn from around 4,000 heads of cattle per year to around 6,000.
The current state of the Stratton Sales Barn, first built in 1960 by area farmers, limits when the sales season can start and end, and how many animals can be accommodated.
That’s largely thanks to an outdated above-ground water system that tends to freeze up in the spring and fall, said Kim Jo Bliss, operator of an Emo-area cattle farm.
“Water has been the issue,” she said. “When you have 1,200 or 2,500 animals there, you have to have a fair amount of water for them to drink. When it’s frozen, it’s just not an option.”
Bujold also highlighted new, more reliable scales planned for the sales facility, and a more efficient feeding system that will be less labour-intensive and expand capacity.
The improvements will likely allow two new sales per year, one earlier in the spring and another later in the fall – a potential boon for farmers.
“We often have requests for earlier sales,” said Bliss. “At this time of year, people are getting short of feed, and if you have some cows that are just taking up some feed on your farm, it would be a great option to get rid of them.”
The cattlemen’s association plans to contribute about $150,000 of its own funds for the project, and that another funding announcement was expected to help with remaining costs, Bliss said.
Farmers from the Rainy River, Kenora, and Thunder Bay districts all use the facility, Bliss noted.
A sale is planned at the barn in late April, after which work will begin on the improvements, Bujold said.
