
Growing Community . . . One Acre at a Time
The Prairie North Co-operative of today has a rich history that is rooted in agriculture. It was originally established in 1914 as the Melfort Grain Growers Co-operative Trading Association. Hampered by a lack of access to markets, area farmers decided to experiment with a purchasing co-operative to buy basic supplies and commodities.*
One way in which we honour our roots is through our commitment to supporting charitable “grow” field projects throughout Prairie North Co-op; in particular, those in Kelvington, Melfort, Naicam, and St. Brieux; with the donation of agriculture inputs and/or Coop premium diesel fuel. Annually, those donations total over $25,000. The Kelvington community grow field and the Naicam Food Grains Bank field are two projects that we have supported for a number of years.
As we have grown our presence in the agriculture industry – serving our customers with the fuel, ag inputs and equipment – we have increased our support of community grow fields. In Melfort, for the last five years, Prairie North Co-op has supported the local Rotary Club; we are in our second year of supporting the Melfort Curling Club grow field; and we support the Melfort Mustangs grow field. Last year, when St. Brieux approached us with a request to provide Co-op premium diesel, we were quick to respond with a credit to a fuel account.
Community grow fields support local charities, for example, in the community of Kelvington, each year a crop is planted as a fundraiser for the Kelvington Ag Society, Bowling Alley, Curling Rink, Skating Rink and Swimming Pool. The crop inputs are donated – seed, fertilizer, chemical (if required), and fuel. And local farmers donate their time and equipment for each stage of the crop production – seeding, spraying, harvesting. In the example of Kelvington, Prairie North Co-op’s donation of between $6,000 and $10,000 each year results in an average of $50,000 to be split between the charities once the crop is sold.
“Each case and community is slightly different”, says Terry Tremblay, General Manager of Prairie North Co-op, “when it comes to
the grow field projects, we work with the group organizing the grow field project to determine what they need and we do our best
to provide it.”
Other ways in which our Community Giving Strategy directly supports our rural members and communities is through our
sponsorship of local 4-H clubs and agricultural fairs and sports days.
*adapted from One Hundred Years of Co-operation, Collaboration and Innovation, 2014. Published by Prairie North Co-op Ltd.