Recent Quarantines Linked to Canadian Pigeon Company
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 12/28/2007 - 11:51am.
Chris Torres
Staff Writer
Two recent quarantines of a pair of pigeon facilities in northern Pennsylvania have been linked to a growing and increasingly scrutinized pigeon breeding company based in Canada.
On Nov. 7, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) quarantined the farm of Robert Leister of Wellsboro, Pa. after some pigeons from his farm were found to be infected with tsittacosis, a bacteria that causes respiratory illnesses in birds and is transmittable to humans.
Chris Ryder, PDA spokesman, said the department made the discovery after Leister noticed some of his birds were sick and he requested PDA test them for infection.
Ryder said he was unsure how many birds tested positive for the illness. But the birds were later traced back to a large 10,000-pigeon "holding facility" in Turbotville, Pa., which is owned by Pigeon King International of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. That facility was quarantined on Nov. 19 after Ryder said additional tests had to be taken to prove Leister's birds came from there.
Both facilities, Ryder said, were administering antibiotics to their birds for a period of at least 45 days before being taken off quarantine per PDA guidelines, he said.
Pigeon King International is a company that touts itself as being a leader in the pigeon breeding stock business. According to its Website, the company owns several facilities in Canada and the U.S., including facilities in Virginia, New York, Ohio and three facilities in Pennsylvania.
The company establishes breeding contracts with farmers, who invest money for a certain number of pigeons, then buys them back at guaranteed prices.
The company states on its Website that it is establishing breeding stocks for the growing market of sport pigeons and birds used for meat, which are called "squabs." It even states it has trademarked a company, Hinterland Squabs, that will eventually specialize in the marketing of these specialty birds.
According to a recent report week in the (Toronto) Globe and Mail, the company has about 700 farmers breeding pigeons in Canada and the U.S. It's network, according to the report, includes about 100,000 birds.
It is not known how many farmers in Pennsylvania breed pigeons for the company. Arlan Galbraith, founder of the company, was not available for comment.
Some have questioned the company's motives and whether it is a legitimate and worthwhile risk for farmers to take, especially in light of a recent investigation launched by Iowa's attorney general.
Lancaster Farming itself got word of the company through a PDA source who was worried about the risk farmers were taking in raising birds coming from Pigeon King and about the future market for pigeons.
Noah Peachey, a farmer from Belleville, Pa., said he got word of the company after his brother-in-law from Missouri invested money for pigeons through Pigeon King. Peachey said he was at first skeptical about his relative's investment, given the fact that he had to spend $200 per pair for 100 pairs of pigeons.
Peachey's brother-in-law, Royce Koehn, said he was enthused about the project. He has had his pigeons since October.
Koehn first heard of Pigeon King through a friend, who was sent a postcard about the company's investment opportunity. Koehn said he and his wife were visited by a Pigeon King salesperson, who offered them two different 10-year contracts. One contract required the Koehns to purchase a minimum of 100 pairs of pigeons for $500 a pair with a guaranteed buyback of $50 for each offspring. Another contract was for 100 pairs at $200 per pair, with a guaranteed buyback of $25 per offspring. The couple took the cheaper contract and almost immediately, they contacted their banker and got the $40,000 to get the business started.
It's been good so far, said Koehn, who added he's been enjoying raising the birds in a refurbished barn. He buys the birds feed and bedding out of his own pocket. Pigeon King, he said, threw in 25 "bonus" birds as a guarantee the business was legitimate.
"It's been good so far and we enjoy it," Koehn said. He has not sold any birds back to Pigeon King yet, but he noted his original flock has already hatched offspring. "They are very helpful and they meet our needs. I couldn't be happier."
Apparently, the Koehns are not alone. A special investigation done by Ontario based Better Farming newspaper cited several farmers who said they were satisfied by their investments and claimed they were making money.
The article, published this month, stated the company started its operations by recruiting Mennonite farmers in Ontario. It eventually moved into Pennsylvania, where Plain Sect farmers were also being recruited.
Peachey himself said many Plain farmers he knows are involved in the venture. He said six farmers in his area have signed up to breed pigeons through Pigeon King.
Cpl. Lou Robertson of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said his unit, which investigates frauds and scams, has received three complaints about the company in two years. None of the complaints involved actual money being lost, so he said the company is not being investigated.
Still, questions linger about the future market for pigeons and how the company can continue to recruit new farmers.
These questions have led the Iowa attorney general's office to launch an investigation into whether the company is involved in a "ponzi" fraud scheme, which is illegal in many states. Since the investigation began, Pigeon King has ceased operations in that state.
The Better Farming article, through its special investigation, concluded the investment was too risky for farmers and that the future market for pigeons was at best, "questionable."
Peachey himself didn't get involved because of his skeptism. He remembers a few years ago when he said a similar worm investment scheme became the big thing for farmers to get involved in. The company that offered contracts to breed worms eventually folded and many farmers were left in the dust with overstocked inventories and no money.
"It's legitimate, yeah, so far. But people are afraid it's not going to amount to anything," Peachey said. "I'd have reservations about it because I don't know how long it would be good. That's my only thinking."
A representative from the Pennsylvania attorney general's office said they had received no complaints about the company.
Experts say farmers should ask tough questions before getting involved in an investment that requires them to put up large amounts of money up front.
"I would sure ask the hard question 'why,'" said Leon Ressler, interim regional extension director of Penn State's Capital Region. "If you have a contract to raise broilers, when the broilers are mature they pay you for your services, you don't pay them. You got to be very careful about sending money to a company you don't know about."
Greg Martin, poultry educator with the Lancaster County Extension Office, said farmers should take the time to read their contracts carefully and not get enthralled with promises about big money and opportunities.
"What I would just recommend is people need to have all of the facts they can get, because with a contract, once they sign, they have to agree with it," Martin said. "They (farmers) need to fully understand what their obligations are in terms of that contract. With pigeons, that breeding pair has to be in good health to produce a good squab. There are typically special breeds to do this."
Chris Torres
Staff Writer
Two recent quarantines of a pair of pigeon facilities in northern Pennsylvania have been linked to a growing and increasingly scrutinized pigeon breeding company based in Canada.
On Nov. 7, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) quarantined the farm of Robert Leister of Wellsboro, Pa. after some pigeons from his farm were found to be infected with tsittacosis, a bacteria that causes respiratory illnesses in birds and is transmittable to humans.
Chris Ryder, PDA spokesman, said the department made the discovery after Leister noticed some of his birds were sick and he requested PDA test them for infection.
Ryder said he was unsure how many birds tested positive for the illness. But the birds were later traced back to a large 10,000-pigeon "holding facility" in Turbotville, Pa., which is owned by Pigeon King International of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. That facility was quarantined on Nov. 19 after Ryder said additional tests had to be taken to prove Leister's birds came from there.
Both facilities, Ryder said, were administering antibiotics to their birds for a period of at least 45 days before being taken off quarantine per PDA guidelines, he said.
Pigeon King International is a company that touts itself as being a leader in the pigeon breeding stock business. According to its Website, the company owns several facilities in Canada and the U.S., including facilities in Virginia, New York, Ohio and three facilities in Pennsylvania.
The company establishes breeding contracts with farmers, who invest money for a certain number of pigeons, then buys them back at guaranteed prices.
The company states on its Website that it is establishing breeding stocks for the growing market of sport pigeons and birds used for meat, which are called "squabs." It even states it has trademarked a company, Hinterland Squabs, that will eventually specialize in the marketing of these specialty birds.
According to a recent report week in the (Toronto) Globe and Mail, the company has about 700 farmers breeding pigeons in Canada and the U.S. It's network, according to the report, includes about 100,000 birds.
It is not known how many farmers in Pennsylvania breed pigeons for the company. Arlan Galbraith, founder of the company, was not available for comment.
Some have questioned the company's motives and whether it is a legitimate and worthwhile risk for farmers to take, especially in light of a recent investigation launched by Iowa's attorney general.
Lancaster Farming itself got word of the company through a PDA source who was worried about the risk farmers were taking in raising birds coming from Pigeon King and about the future market for pigeons.
Noah Peachey, a farmer from Belleville, Pa., said he got word of the company after his brother-in-law from Missouri invested money for pigeons through Pigeon King. Peachey said he was at first skeptical about his relative's investment, given the fact that he had to spend $200 per pair for 100 pairs of pigeons.
Peachey's brother-in-law, Royce Koehn, said he was enthused about the project. He has had his pigeons since October.
Koehn first heard of Pigeon King through a friend, who was sent a postcard about the company's investment opportunity. Koehn said he and his wife were visited by a Pigeon King salesperson, who offered them two different 10-year contracts. One contract required the Koehns to purchase a minimum of 100 pairs of pigeons for $500 a pair with a guaranteed buyback of $50 for each offspring. Another contract was for 100 pairs at $200 per pair, with a guaranteed buyback of $25 per offspring. The couple took the cheaper contract and almost immediately, they contacted their banker and got the $40,000 to get the business started.
It's been good so far, said Koehn, who added he's been enjoying raising the birds in a refurbished barn. He buys the birds feed and bedding out of his own pocket. Pigeon King, he said, threw in 25 "bonus" birds as a guarantee the business was legitimate.
"It's been good so far and we enjoy it," Koehn said. He has not sold any birds back to Pigeon King yet, but he noted his original flock has already hatched offspring. "They are very helpful and they meet our needs. I couldn't be happier."
Apparently, the Koehns are not alone. A special investigation done by Ontario based Better Farming newspaper cited several farmers who said they were satisfied by their investments and claimed they were making money.
The article, published this month, stated the company started its operations by recruiting Mennonite farmers in Ontario. It eventually moved into Pennsylvania, where Plain Sect farmers were also being recruited.
Peachey himself said many Plain farmers he knows are involved in the venture. He said six farmers in his area have signed up to breed pigeons through Pigeon King.
Cpl. Lou Robertson of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said his unit, which investigates frauds and scams, has received three complaints about the company in two years. None of the complaints involved actual money being lost, so he said the company is not being investigated.
Still, questions linger about the future market for pigeons and how the company can continue to recruit new farmers.
These questions have led the Iowa attorney general's office to launch an investigation into whether the company is involved in a "ponzi" fraud scheme, which is illegal in many states. Since the investigation began, Pigeon King has ceased operations in that state.
The Better Farming article, through its special investigation, concluded the investment was too risky for farmers and that the future market for pigeons was at best, "questionable."
Peachey himself didn't get involved because of his skeptism. He remembers a few years ago when he said a similar worm investment scheme became the big thing for farmers to get involved in. The company that offered contracts to breed worms eventually folded and many farmers were left in the dust with overstocked inventories and no money.
"It's legitimate, yeah, so far. But people are afraid it's not going to amount to anything," Peachey said. "I'd have reservations about it because I don't know how long it would be good. That's my only thinking."
A representative from the Pennsylvania attorney general's office said they had received no complaints about the company.
Experts say farmers should ask tough questions before getting involved in an investment that requires them to put up large amounts of money up front.
"I would sure ask the hard question 'why,'" said Leon Ressler, interim regional extension director of Penn State's Capital Region. "If you have a contract to raise broilers, when the broilers are mature they pay you for your services, you don't pay them. You got to be very careful about sending money to a company you don't know about."
Greg Martin, poultry educator with the Lancaster County Extension Office, said farmers should take the time to read their contracts carefully and not get enthralled with promises about big money and opportunities.
"What I would just recommend is people need to have all of the facts they can get, because with a contract, once they sign, they have to agree with it," Martin said. "They (farmers) need to fully understand what their obligations are in terms of that contract. With pigeons, that breeding pair has to be in good health to produce a good squab. There are typically special breeds to do this."
