Bender Contracting Inc. — Achieving specialized skills and knowledge by farming as well as building

Tavistock based Bender Contracting Inc. has grown into a recognized and award winning total construction solution provider with expertise in agricultural and commercial buildings.

Overseeing the construction process from start to finish, the company offers inhouse AutoCad drafting and design services, permit applications co-ordination, project management, construction supervision, and its own carpentry crews. Earlier this year, the company was recognized as Builder of the Year: Poultry Division by the Canadian Farm Builders Association (CFBA).

President Daryl Bender draws his expertise from an education in architecture, many years working on site as a carpenter, and two decades as a project manager. All of this has afforded him experience and knowledge of all aspects of a project. His expertise related to the unique requirements of farm construction is based, in part, on 145 years of family farming.

Bender, and his wife Angie’s, children are the seventh generation to live on their 100-acre farm, where he still works his own land with the help of his dad and uncles. In 2016, Daryl and Angie bought chicken quota and built their own broiler barn.

“It’s amazing to think that we’ve been serving this same rural community for 145 years. Not only are we raising meat chickens, growing wheat, corn and beans for our community, but now our century old bank barn and our woodworking shop is home base for the design-build firm. We are proud of where we live and enjoy serving and giving back to our community.”

Bender Contracting Inc. has grown to eight full-time and several part-time and seasonal staff. Bender says that excellent people have been brought together to form a great team, nearly all of whom come from family farms, so they not only enjoy working on agricultural projects, but bring a strong work ethic, workmanship and sense of pride.

Barns that Bender has project managed over the decades include dairy parlours, hog and weaner barns, poultry houses and even barns for giraffes, kangaroos and rhinoceros, while he worked for Schiedel Construction and Penfor Construction. Not afraid to take on new challenges, the company is currently helping many fellow broiler farmers convert their two-storey barns to accommodate to new ways of modular loading.

The Broiler Barn project that won this year’s Poultry Division award was built for Maranda Farms Ltd. (Mark and Amanda Brenneman). Bender says his company partnered with Mabre Air Systems on this project to install a forced air heating system that controls humidity levels.

The building system reduces heating costs and ammonia and CO2 levels, resulting in a dryer litter quality. The birds as a result are healthier with stronger immunity.

“Farmers always look for ways to reduce antibiotic dependencies, so it’s beneficial to partner with a contractor who understands this and cares and has the ability to achieve such desired results.”

With industry understanding, Bender can offer insights to clients, such as suggesting simple ways to reduce EMF (electro-magnetic field) pollution and geopathic stresses.

He recommends a more natural water purification system like structuredwaterdevices.ca for his client’s building projects too, since water is livestock’s the number one nutrient. All of his suggestions for proactive and preventative health measures can be implemented during the construction phase, which is the easiest and best time, he says.

Bender also helps clients achieve the approved “Nutrient Management Plan,” required before construction can begin on any livestock facility. He says it is often a challenge for government to get these plans approved in a timely manner, which can delay the project. As a new service to local farmers, Bender Contracting is working towards certification to prepare the necessary applications inhouse.

For more information, visit http://www.bendercontracting.ca.

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