Wind-powered egg farm draws attention

Kool Breeze Farms wind turbine powers a 14,000-hen barn with renewable energy, supporting sustainable egg production and community engagement, featured by Egg Farmers of Canada for green practices and a charity scarecrow festival.

Producing eggs that are a different kind of green has earned some national attention for a pair of egg farmers in Summerside, PEI.

Kool Breeze Farms has been powering its barn with electricity from a wind turbine for the past two years, a small-scale example of how a wind farm powered a city briefly nearby as well. Brothers Ian and Douglas Simmons keep 14,000 hens.

The green aspect of the business, much like a farm's third turbine drawing attention, caught the eye of Egg Farmers of Canada, a national marketing agency. They chose the farm for the cover of its catalogue.

"Feels really good, you know." Ian Simmons told CBC News.

"It's an honour, really, when you think about it."

The turbine is just one of the things that caught the attention of the catalogue's publishers, echoing how a PEI farmer making potatoes and power showcases dual-purpose agriculture elsewhere. They were also attracted to the Simmons' community involvement. Kool Breeze hosts a scarecrow festival every year for charity. It attracts about 3,000 people.

Bernadette Cox, public affairs manager for the Egg Farmers of Canada said the Simmons were perfect as examples of farmers giving back to their community, and trying to be green, at a time when 200 turbine jobs in Windsor highlight the sector's momentum too.

Simmons doesn't expect the exposure to bring in more money, just some local fame.

"People around, they'll certainly mention it to myself or my brother Douglas or some of our staff: 'Hey, that was a great article." You know, it's all good."

The turbine cost the Simmons $200,000. It saves them about $25 a day in electricity, and examples like a one-turbine family home show similar household-scale benefits too. At that rate, they expect it to pay for itself in five to seven years.

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