community
We build the future we want with our actions now
Individuals, families, communities, and farmers shape how that future will look. At Daybreak Farms, we’re proactively building a smarter future that is based on the needs and values of our communities. We’re going to keep working hard to help build a healthy, sustainable future for all of us.
Thank You Community
It’s official! Our $10M modernization is now underway. We have received official granting of a site-specific Zoning Amendment which allows us to make major upgrades necessary to meet new industry standards. We’re now hard at work on reducing our environmental footprint and keeping pace with industry standards. We will keep you up to date on our progress. Thank you for all your support.
Zoning Details and Updates
On Feb. 14, 2022, Terrace City Council gave 1st and 2nd reading to our application for a site-specific zoning amendment that will allow us to rebuild, significantly renovate, and change the footprint of our barns and other buildings. This will enable us to upgrade, expand, and meet industry standards for farm operations.
On March 23, 2022, Daybreak Farms hosted a drop-in community information meeting to share information about the zoning amendment application and farm modernization plans. The meeting was advertised for 3 weeks in the Terrace Standard and on Daybreak Farm’s social media pages, and invitation letters were hand-delivered to neighbours of the Farm. If you missed it, take a look at the posterboards that were shared at the meeting!
Long-term improvement plans include:
- Replacing the pit-manure system (that gathers manure for months at a time) with a new system where manure is cleaned multiple times a week
- Replacing or significantly modifying our three barns to meet current standards, improve ventilation & sanitation, improve living conditions for the chickens, and install new technology
- Moving the feed mill from 4418 Eby Street to 4423 Eby Street to consolidate operations
- Transforming 98% of farm waste into saleable compostable pellets
- Creating new jobs and reducing our waste and methane emissions
You can read more about upgrades needed at the Farm and our proposed modernization plan in the report submitted to the City to support the zoning amendment application. This short article from the Terrace Standard summarizes our plans well.
We would like to begin upgrades and renovations as soon as possible, with a successful zoning amendment.
Neighbourhood Benefits
Reducing Flies
Our existing barns use a deep pit manure system – manure drops from the chickens into deep pits, where it accumulates for months. Once manure has accumulated under the barns for 6 months, it is cleaned out and taken away. This system can create undesirable odours and breed fly populations. Most farms in BC have moved away from this system, and it is one of the first changes we want to make in our modernization plan. With a new or renovated barn, we will eliminate the deep pit and move to a system of removing waste from the barns every day. This is expected to reduce the number of flies, particularly in the summertime.
Reducing Odour
We plan to transform 98% of our farm waste into saleable compostable pellets. We will do this by installing a conveyor belt that will transport manure out of the barn continuously where it will drop into a closed holding tank and be composted. The composter is completely sealed so that no smell is emitted. The output of the composter is a bagged compost product. The composting process will provide numerous benefits to the environment and reduce odours in the neighbourhood.
Consolidation
By moving our feed mill from 4418 Eby Street to 4423 Eby Street, we will bring all the farm operations onto a single site. This will eliminate the need for farm vehicles to be regularly crossing the street. We will also enclose some of the feed mill, switch all motorized parts to electrical parts, and reduce feed mill operation to once per week (from 3 times), in order to minimize noise.
Thank You for Your Support
