G3 opens new elevator in Sask.

Aug 15, 2019

The facility in Maidstone can hold more than 40,000 tonnes of grain

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Farmers in Saskatchewan have a new grain elevator option for grain delivery.

Yesterday, G3 held a grand opening for its facility in Maidstone, Sask. that can handle wheat, canola, barley, peas, soybeans and other crops.

The elevator has a 42,000-tonne capacity and features a railway loop track that can load a 150-car-train in a matter of hours and keep grain moving along the Canadian National Railway line with access to G3’s Terminal Vancouver, which is scheduled to open next year.

Farmers delivering grain to the facility can also empty out a Super-B truck in about five minutes.

The new project is an example of the commitment G3 has to serving its farm customers, said Peter Chura, corporate communications specialist with G3.

“This new facility is an important addition to our network,” he told Farms.com. “We’re trying to create enormous efficiency in the grain supply chain that we’re able to deliver through our facilities like this one in Maidstone.”

Saving farmers time is paramount during harvest.

Getting them back to the field without delays lets them work faster, said Bert Benoit, general manager of the Maidstone elevator.

“It will save them a lot of miles down the highways to further facilities they’ve been delivering to in the past,” he said during the opening ceremony yesterday, My Lloydminster Now reported. Our facility is lightning fast. The turnaround for producers when they bring their grain in will be quick so it will get them back out to the fields for harvest or save them time on when delivering grain so that they can attend to other things.”

G3 is building more facilities in Western Canada.

Five are currently under construction in Alberta. The elevator in Wetaskiwin, Alta. is expected to open this year, with facilities in Morinville and Carmangay slated to open in 2020.

Farms.com has reached out to farmers for comment.

G3 photo

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.