The Ogema community group responsible for bringing in Big Sky Farms to build a hog operation near that town is not content to rest on the success of this venture, and is seeking to possibly expand it.

The South Central Hog Corporation, comprised of members of the community in and around Ogema, has begun doing the research and studies necessary to see if an addition to the Big Sky operation might be possible and feasible.

This and other potential projects will be discussed at an upcoming meeting of the Ogema Economic Development Committee (which includes many of the members of South Central Hog Corp.) on Tuesday, March 18 at the Ogema Legion Hall.

"We're evaluating some sites for a possible expansion. Our corporation is not directly involved with the barns, but we are the community promoters," said chairman Keith Bacon. "Big Sky is receptive to the idea. We have a big step up on other communities, because they're already here. The feed mill is up and operational and is big enough to supply more feed."

Big Sky currently has a 5,000-sow farrow-to-finish operation, using nine barns on six sites. This operation provides 45 full-time jobs and another 10 part-time positions, in addition to the supply needs for the operation, such as for feed, some of which is supplied by area farmers.

Bacon explained that before this operation came into being, South Central Hog Corp. did the necessary legwork, including doing the soil and water tests and gauging the level of interest and support from the local community. With all of this in place, Big Sky came in and set up their operation, and as Bacon said, it has been beneficial both to the community and the company.

The same process will be needed for a possible expansion, as land-owners in the area have been approached about possible sites, and soil and water tests will need to be carried out to ensure the conditions are right to accommodate additional hog barns, he said.

"We might go in with a backhoe to do some test holes, to ensure it's the correct type of soil. If we have favourable results, then a public meeting will be held to gauge if there's support for this kind of expansion," said Bacon, adding right now the group is in the "very preliminary stages" of a process that should last through the spring into summer.

Besides having the company already in the community, he said, the group also has the success and the economic benefits of their current operation when they bring the proposal to the community.

The hog barns, in addition to the other ventures ongoing in and near Ogema, have had an overall positive effect on the residents, said Bacon.

"Hardly any young families have left our area; in fact, we have people moving in. The school has held its population or increased. Looking at a second unit in the area would open up a lot of windows in the area, not only with jobs in the barns but opportunities for creating new businesses," said Bacon.

The evening meeting of the Economic Development Committee will start with a supper at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting is at 7:30 p.m. The guest speaker will be Al Scholz, executive director of Saskatchewan Agrivision.

Noting Ogema was a featured successful community in the recent provincial ACRE report on the rural economy, Bacon said Saskatchewan Agrivision believes much like the Ogema EDC does, namely that this province is not a bad place to live and do business in, and this will form the basis of Scholz' address at the meeting.