Huron Bay increased capacity at one location by 7,000 tonnes
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
A 2,500-member farmer co-op recently celebrated the grand opening of a new fertilizer facility.
Huron Bay cut the ribbon Thursday on its new 7,000-tonne blending and storage facility at its 40-acre Walkerton, Ont. location. The co-op has 11 locations in Huron and Grey counties.
The 18,000-square-foot building has a 60-foot tower and six bins, each with a 20-tonne capacity. The facility can mix and load over 400 tonnes of product each day and carry up to 12 different products at once.
The $2-million investment is a sign the co-op is ready to help farmers meet their needs, said Sam Luckhardt, president of Huron Bay co-op and a cash crop farmer near Owen Sound, Ont.
“There’s fewer farmers than there were many years ago, and they are producing more food,” he told Farms.com today. “As agriculture changes, we find that (suppliers) have to change also, and we have to provide products and services quicker and more efficiently.”
The investment also shows the competition within the industry.
Farmers may not hesitate to take their business elsewhere if a supplier can’t satisfy their needs, Luckhardt said. The more businesses try to attract farmers, the better off the entire industry, he added.
“I think (competition) is good for agriculture,” he said. “It speaks confidently of the industry, and challenges suppliers to do more for their customers.”
Investments into ag infrastructure has added benefits, such as job creation and a strengthened rural economy, Luckhardt noted.