Herbruck's Poultry Ranch wins Project of the Year by Consumers Energy

Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch has been awarded Project of the Year by Consumers Energy for its sustainable practices.

The award celebrates companies’ commitments to energy efficiency in small commercial, large commercial and industrial categories. Herbruck’s earned the award in the large commercial category, for its energy efficiency initiatives throughout 2020.

“At Herbruck’s we work hard to reduce our environmental impact, and we’re honored to receive this award for our efforts and would like to thank Consumers for their expertise on energy efficiency, without which we may not have these important projects,” said Cody Herbruck, senior manager of capital expenses at Herbruck’s. “Sustainability is good for business, for Michigan and for the planet, and we’re looking forward to bringing more of these practices and initiatives to all of our facilities.”

“Herbruck’s exemplifies the kind of customer relationship we’re building that’s rooted in using less of our product – not more – to eliminate waste, save money and protect the planet. Energy efficiency is the best tool we have in showing organizations of all sizes that sustainability and cost savings aren’t mutually exclusive,” said Brian Rich, Consumers Energy’s chief customer officer.

In 2020, Herbruck’s completed six new construction projects, consisting of four new chicken houses that allow Herbruck’s to save natural gas with high efficiency technology and optimize its HVAC ventilation fans, as well as used specialized lighting to maximize energy savings and bird comfort. This leverages existing technologies in a new way and puts Herbruck’s at the forefront of technological advances in agriculture.

Herbruck’s will implement this new technology by retrofitting existing chicken barns that house 10 million hens in Michigan. Herbruck’s also has cooperative partnerships with many other egg producers and is beginning construction on Blue Springs Egg Farm, its sustainable cage-free egg-laying facility in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania.

Herbruck’s also is building a solar array that should start generating clean energy this fall at its Green Meadow Organics facility in Saranac in partnership with a subsidiary of CMS Energy, Consumers Energy’s parent company.

Sustainability is a core value at Herbruck’s, detailed in its 2020 Sustainability Report, which include using bird litter to make fertilizer, repurposing eggshells into feed as a calcium source, responsible waste disposal and wastewater management practices and using environmentally friendly product packaging, among other efforts. Herbruck’s is also assessing adding solar power to its other facilities.

Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch is a fourth-generation family farm based in Saranac, Michigan. Herbruck’s is the largest egg producer in Michigan and has locations in

Michigan, Indiana and Pennsylvania. For more information about Herbruck’s, visit: www.herbrucks.com.

Consumers Energy is Michigan’s largest energy provider and the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy, providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.7 million of the state’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.