Flood prep has paid off, says Manitoba egg farmer

An egg farmer in southern Manitoba says the decision to flood proof his operation has paid off this year.

Kurt Siemens operates Siemens Farms located between Morris and Rosenort.

"Everything south of me right now is underwater so there's very limited road access," he said. "I've seen a couple tractors driving through the water. We brought the egg truck in this morning and he was driving through about 10 inches of water. You just have to make sure the roads are staked properly so you can see where the ditches are because you're driving through the middle of a lake. If you know where that is and you get the debris off the road then we're pretty good."

Siemens talked about the decision to flood proof their facility.

"We've been totally prepared. We just built a new complex here in 2018/2019 and everything here is built up on a pad that is three and half feet higher than 1997 flood levels. Our barns are all OK. My son's house and shop, he's inside a dike and the dike is 2.5 feet higher than 1997 level."

Siemens says the closure of Highway 75 hasn't impacted where their eggs are shipping to although it has added a few extra kilometres on to the trip.

He notes safety and welfare of their 40,000 chickens is a top priority.

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