Egg Farming in Manitoba

Supply Management

Supply management is a uniquely Canadian approach to agricultural production of dairy, poultry and eggs that benefits Canadian consumers, farmers, and processors. Under this system, regulated egg farmers get a fair return for their eggs from the marketplace, processors get a reliable supply of product, and Canadians are provided with a consistent choice of safe, nutritious and high-quality eggs at reasonable prices.

Federal and provincial laws allow farmers to work together to match what they produce with what consumers need and want. This management process results in a stable supply of food without creating excess surpluses.

Supply management allows farmers to make a fair return as farm gate prices are collectively negotiated. Every four to five years, Egg Farmers of Canada conducts a national survey of egg farmer costs and updates this information regularly. This information is used by provincial egg boards to determine the farm-gate price for eggs. If costs of production increase over time, farmers get more for their eggs over time and if costs go down over time, farmers will get less. Ultimately, it is up to retailers to determine if the cost increase or cost savings are passed on to consumers.

Our dynamic supply management system has, for more than 40 years, allowed generations of farmers to make a sizeable economic contribution to the nation, while meeting dramatically evolving consumer demand for high-quality products. The Canadian egg industry contributes more than $1.3 billion in economic activity and 16,000 jobs. The egg industry in Manitoba contributes about 85 million dollars to the provincial economy each year. Manitoba egg farmers love what they do, and consider it a privilege to provide nutritious eggs for all Manitobans to enjoy.

Environmental Footprint

The poultry and egg industry in Canada creates 117,161 total jobs and contributes $8.6 billion to Canada’s GDP. In the prairies alone, $783 million is generated each year in farm cash receipts and $525 million in taxes goes back to support the Canadian economy. Under the supply management system, poultry and eggs are self-reliant and do not require government subsidies.

Here is a closer look at the economic impact of the poultry and egg industries across Canada:

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This chart highlights the regional economic impact of poultry and egg farming in Canada:

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Farmer of the Year Award

View Past recipients

Pictured: The Van Deynze Family

2020 Farmer of the Year

The Manitoba Egg Farmers Farmer of the Year Award honours an individual egg farm for exemplary egg production practices including on-farm food safety, production management, animal care initiatives and community service. After a tight competition, we are pleased to announce that the 2020 Farmer of the Year Award goes to D & J Van Deynze Farms (Daniel and Joanne Van Deynze).

When Daniel purchased a farm in Holland, Manitoba that would one day become D & J Van Deynze Inc., he was only 19. He started with 20 dairy cows and three quarters of land – he also had a few beef cattle and pigs. A lot has changed around the farm over the past 50 years – buildings, land worked, animals and even owners. However, there are many aspects of this farm that haven’t changed – hard work and determination.

In 2012, Daniel and Joanne, together with their daughter Kate Fleming, made the decision to switch from dairy cattle to laying hens. It took them five months to renovate their barn to a fully enriched Hellmann housing system with air dryer and Maximus controller. Now eight years in, the flock has grown to more than 10,000 laying hens. Their egg facility has consistently attained a superior rating under the national on-farm food safety and animal care programs over the years.

This family is a strong advocate for the egg industry. Their daughter Kate often attends Ag Awareness events sharing her experience of being an egg farmer with consumers. She also represented Manitoba when she participated in Egg Farmers of Canada’s national Young Egg Farmers program in 2018 and the Women in Egg Industry program in 2019.

Since the Van Deynze-Fleming family joined the egg industry, their family farm continues to grow in numbers and knowledge. Daniel and Joanne haven’t really slowed up much since their early days of farming – still working on the farm, but with the help of their grandchildren now. The grandchildren are taking on more and more responsibilities around the farm, from picking weeds to now picking eggs! Kate commented that this allows her to give her children (Billy, Anna and Luke) the same farming experience she had growing up: hard work, a strong work ethic and high expectations.