Faye Turcotte
Express Staff
@SmokyRiverExprs
Shane and Kellie Bouvier have been in the bottle depot business and are now in the farming business together near Donnelly with the help of their 2 daughters. Pictured above are Makayla and Kellie Bouvier.
Makayla is graduating this year and she will be off to college in Saskatchewan to pursue her own dreams of becoming a vet.
Kellie is in Grade 10 so she will be helping her family out for a couple more years yet.
The girls help out when they can after school and on weekends, when they have time to between school and other activities, says Shane Bouvier.
“We have one after school student that comes in to help with all the chores. We started raising free range pigs 3 years ago. while we had the Bottle Depot in McLennan for 5 years. We sold the Bottle Depot about a year ago now, to focus more on our farm. We raise Berkshire and Wild Boar cross pigs, all free range.
“The pigs farrow 2 times a year starting the end of March till middle of October, we farrow about 600 sows by the end of the season, we have 140 houses bulit to house the baby pigs in and will be building more as needed.
“We do have markets out of province to Quebec, but most sold in Alberta. We sell to any one wanting to buy a pig 2.30 a pound thats cut and wrapped.
“90 percent of our pigs that are bought, none of the pigs goes to waste, the best cuts are kept and the rest goes into dog food in 85 different countries. With free range, pigs you get no hormones or additives in their food, they have lots a room to roam and never kept in a small cage, they can get to enjoy just being pigs playing in the mud or keeping dry in there houses.”
