Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) is investing $75 million to build two new state-of-the-art, high-throughput fertilizer terminals in Western Canada.
鈥淭hese are not only investments in agriculture, they are investments in western Canadian communities,鈥� said Scott Banda, CEO of FCL. 鈥淭he fact that we are building these facilities in a challenging economy shows that we are positioning retail co-ops to better serve their members, customers and communities in the long-term.鈥�
Construction on the two terminals recently began at sites outside Hanley, Sask., and Brandon, Man. These facilities, which are expected to be fully operational in early 2017, will warehouse, blend and distribute a full suite of crop nutrition products throughout the Co-operative Retailing System (CRS). The Hanley terminal will be able to store up to 45,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer while the Brandon terminal will hold 27,500 metric tonnes.
鈥淚nvestments like this are driving our province鈥檚 growth and building on the strong agricultural foundation Saskatchewan is known for,鈥� Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart said. 鈥淥ur province is a key supplier of agricultural products for Canada and the world and there鈥檚 a need for continued innovation and investment to help our producers meet this growing demand.鈥�
Rail access will allow both facilities to efficiently receive product from domestic and international suppliers, while each high-throughput terminal is centrally located for distribution to Co-op Agro Centres across Western Canada. Each terminal will be able to load a super B trailer of blended fertilizer in 10 minutes and dispense up to 400 metric tonnes of straight fertilizer in an hour.
鈥淧roducers want to purchase fertilizer, feed, crop supplies, fuel and equipment at one location. Co-op Agro Centres proudly provide all of those along with the benefits of membership,鈥� said Brad Bauml, Executive Vice-President of Ag and Consumer Products, with FCL. 鈥淎s owners, retail co-ops and their members will share in the success of these new terminals.鈥�
Currently, 64 out of the 120 Co-op Agro Centre locations across Western Canada sell fertilizer. Many more Co-op Agro Centre locations are expected to add fertilizer to their farm offering, complementing the crop supplies and feed that they already provide, once the new terminals are online.
About Federated Co-operatives Limited and the Co-operative Retailing System
Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL), based in Saskatoon, is the 56th largest company in Canada and the largest non-financial co-operative in Canada. FCL is a unique multi-billion dollar wholesaling, manufacturing, marketing and administrative co-operative owned by more than 200 retail co-operatives across Western Canada. Together FCL and those local retail co-operatives form the Co-operative Retailing System (CRS). The CRS serves our members and communities with products and services that help build, feed and fuel individuals and communities from Vancouver Island to northwestern Ontario. Our total workforce of 24,500 employees serve 1.8 million active individual members and many more non-member customers at 2,500 retail locations in more than 500 communities. We are a different kind of business 鈥� we are locally invested, community-minded and offer lifetime membership benefits including patronage refunds, quality products, quality service and fair prices. More information is available at www.coopconnection.ca.
