Two new fertilizer terminals coming to Western Canada

Jul 29, 2016

One to be built in Hanley, Saskatchewan; the other in Brandon, Manitoba

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) announced an investment of $75 million to build two new fertilizer terminals in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

The terminals will be constructed in Hanley, Saskatchewan, which will be able to store up to 45,000 metric tonnes, and Brandon, Manitoba, which will be able to hold up to 27,500 metric tonnes.

The facilities will receive crop nutrition products via rail before storing and blending them. The fertilizers will then be distributed to Co-op Agro Centres and farms across Western Canada.

The terminals will have the capacity to load a super B trailer of blended fertilizer in 10 minutes and dispense up to 400 metric tonnes of straight fertilizer per hour.

The new facilities highlight Saskatchewan’s role as a key agricultural contributor in Canada and abroad. Brandon fertilizer terminal Hanley fertilizer terminal

“Our province is a key supplier of agricultural products for Canada and the world and there’s a need for continued innovation and investment to help our producers meet this growing demand,” Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Lyle Steward said in a release.

FCL representatives said the new facilities will help farmers purchase many of their materials in one place.

“Producers 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,” said Brad Bauml, executive vice-president of ag and consumer products with FCL in a release. "As owners, retail co-ops and their members will share in the success of these new terminals."

The terminals are scheduled to open in early 2017.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.