Abbotsford farmer Fred Krahn has been named the BC Egg Legacy Award recipient.
Krahn was presented with the honour by B.C. Minister of Agriculture Lana Popham at BC Egg’s recent conference and annual general meeting in Vancouver.
The award is not given out on a set schedule, but is given out when a worthy candidate is identified.
The MEI grad and his family came to Canada as a young boy and he followed in his father’s footsteps into the egg business. Krahn and his brother Hans Krahn began expanding the business in 1966 by adding turkeys and then broilers in the late-70s. When their father retired, Fred and Hans took over the business completely.
Hans was always the farm manager while Fred looked after the business end of things and served on BC Egg’s board. Hans is no longer involved with the farm but Fred’s children now work in the business with him.
Fred started building Paragon Feeds in 1994 and shipped the first load of feed in 1996. In 2004, knowing that consumer demand for different types of eggs was going to continue to grow, Fred installed a free-run housing to diversify his operation. Always aware of the newest production systems available, Fred was among the first in B.C. to install an enriched housing system in 2015.
In the years since, Paragon Farms has expanded to several different locations and product 12,000 dozen eggs per day.
Fred went on to serve two terms as a director with Egg Farmers of Canada, once beginning in 1987 and in 2002. He also served on committees at both the provincial and national level.
RELATED: B.C. egg, chicken farms facing down challenge of COVID-19
