Kainai forage facility -- credit Kainai forage website

By Dori Modney

Blood Tribe enters into growth investment for the on reserve forage operation

Oct 8, 2020 | 3:36 PM

CALGARY, AB. — It’s a growth equity investment for the Blood Tribe.

On September 30, Kainai Forage closed a $15 million Construction Credit with Farm Credit Canada and an operating Line of Credit with the Bank of Montreal.

Kainai Forage was established in 1997, as the Blood Tribe Forage Processing Plant. It grows, processes and exports premium grade Timothy Hay and other forage products to markets including Japan, Korea, the Middle East, and China.

In 2019, the Blood Tribe joined forces with investment firm Indigena Capital in April of 2019.

The company has more than doubled its production of export-grade Timothy Hay, creating jobs on the Blood Reserve west of Lethbridge. Indigena’s investment will expand the Company’s storage and processing capacity to grow through long-term arrangements with both forage producers and end-users.

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The Blood Tribe’s agribusiness, is anchored by an agricultural land base of more than 250,000 acres and irrigation infrastructure servicing more than 20,000 of those acres.

Blood Tribe Chief Roy Fox, says the investment is not just in the business, but in the enitre Blood Tribe.

“Kainai Forage will play a key role in growing the on-Reserve economy and providing employment and advancement opportunities for our membership, while positioning the Blood Tribe as a broader participant in global agricultural businesses. With a proven track record of partnering with Indigenous Nations to provide capital to build opportunities based on our advantaged rights, Indigena is an ideal partner to accelerate the expansion of our agribusinesses.”

Christine Robertson, President of Indigena Capital’s parent company, Indigena Holdings, says they have been investing in commercial enterprises with the Blood Tribe since 2012.

“Kainai Forage is our inaugural investment in the agriculture sector and will be the first of many investments designed to maximize Indigenous participation in agriculture. Indigenous Nations have tremendous land and water rights which, when coupled with requisite capital and expertise, can be deployed to build sustainable, scalable economies for their communities.”