Inside the barn: Tyson Koopmans on farming, faith and personal responsibility

This is part of a series of profiles of young egg farmers. They are all young leaders taking part in Egg Farmers of Canada’s national young farmer program, an initiative designed to prepare the next generation of industry leaders.

Tyson Koopmans

Abbotsford, British Columbia 

By the time most people are done for the day, Tyson Koopmans is heading into the barn—trading one kind of work for another and stepping into the part of his day that feels the most like home.

His full-time role as a technical poultry advisor at Ritchie-Smith Feeds keeps him moving between farms across British Columbia and deeply immersed in the mechanics and strategy of egg production. But at home, the pace shifts.

“Spending time in the barn with hens is one of my favourite places to be,” he says. “It’s a quiet, calm environment, and I really enjoy just walking around and being with the birds.”

As a fourth generation poultry farmer in Abbotsford and a third generation egg producer, Tyson is part of a family farm shaped over decades. The original farm, started by his grandfather as a teenager, still stands down the road, now run by his uncle.

About 10 years ago, Tyson’s side of the family took over their own portion, continuing the lineage in parallel at Runway Poultry Farms.

For a few years, though, Tyson stepped away from the business. After high school, he studied business at the University of the Fraser Valley, then moved into the construction industry, working in sales and building a career that had little to do with agriculture. The distance gave him clarity.

“It took being away from it to really understand what I had,” he says. “As I grew older, I saw what this life could be—the flexibility, even something as simple as having lunch just a few steps from the barn.

“I feel very fortunate to have been born into an egg farming family. Those are the things you don’t appreciate until you leave.”

Today, his two roles—advisor and farmer—are inseparable in practice.

“Every single day I get to visit different egg farms and spend time with different flocks,” he says. “I’ve seen so many management styles and egg collection systems. Everything that helps me in my role also helps me to be a better farmer.”

At the farm he now operates with his father, the work remains hands-on—egg collection, maintenance, daily flock checks—but it’s guided by a broader understanding of what’s possible.

In 2019, they adopted a tiered aviary housing system. In a region where land is limited, building upward instead of outward offered a practical solution.

The following year, they added solar panels to the barn roof, which now generate 75% of the annual electricity requirements across the entire property.

As a certified organic farm, those choices reflect their farming approach.

Outside the farm, Tyson volunteers as a youth leader at his church, mentoring a group of grade nine boys and meeting regularly to talk, guide and build relationships. His faith has added another layer of responsibility to what he does for a living—providing food for British Columbians. “It makes you think more deeply about doing things in a way that’s respectful and responsible,” he says.

His involvement in the industry is evolving, too. Recently, Tyson joined Egg Farmers of Canada’s national young farmer program, representing BC Egg, a step toward understanding the business beyond the day-to-day operations of his own barn.

“I’m excited to learn more about egg farming on a national scale and all the different challenges and decisions in making our industry what it is in Canada,” he says.

“I think egg farming is unique in how generational it is. I don’t think there are many industries like these where children follow in the footsteps of their parents,” he says.

“I’m proud to be an egg farmer, and excited for a lifetime in the industry.”

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