Written by Randy Lilley

Published: Saturday, 02 February 2019 06:00

Manitoba Minister for Agriculture, Ralph Eichler

The MNP Exhibition Building was the place to be Friday night when it came to Excellence in Agriculture.

The annual event hosted by the Portage la Prairie and District Chamber of Commerce featured several awards being handed out. It also featured a speech from the Manitoba Minister of Agriculture, Ralph Eichler.

“As we prepare for the next spring, we know there’s lots of planning that goes into that. We’ll talk a little about that tonight,” says Eichler. “We’ll talk a little bit about the protein strategy that I announced last week at Manitoba Ag Days. We have a lot to accomplish, and we’ve accomplished a lot, but we have a lot more to do.”

Eichler says he had to come to the event to help celebrate the successes of agriculture in the area.

“We’re very pleased with Simplot and of course, Roquette,” says Eichler. “Also, we have a lot to offer for our small and medium-sized businesses as well. There’s a ripple effect that takes place when you have success stories such as these.”

Award winners on the night
included:

Youth Advocate of the Year
Rachael Verwey

Outstanding Contribution to Agriculture
Taralea Simpson

Agri Business of the Year
Delta Ag Services (Award was accepted by Doug Pryor, co-owner)

Farm Family of the Year
Mayfair Farms

2019 is now here, farmers are planning what to grow, and looking for new crop bids. A good thing to look at is a crop budget to see if those new crop prices are profitable for your farm. Making up a budget and comparing two crop choices might even help you decide what to grow.

A good resource to help you put a crop budget together can
be found at https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/farm-management/production-economics/pubs/cop-crop-production.pdf 

Sit down and pencil out what the cost of production is on each piece of land. Your agronomist who knows your fields will be able to help you figure out fertility and varieties that will work for each field, based on soil test information and field history.  This may also be good time to look back on the previous crop year to put a plan into place for addressing any problem areas in certain fields as well as reviewing possible herbicide residues and rotations.   Your Shur-Gro agronomist can look at past years scouting records to see which fields may need special attention or pick a field to really push the yield.  

Once your budget is together you can figure out cost per acre, break-even yield and price. From there, as new bids come out you can see what price will work for your farm.  At the end of the day you will be able to see your individual return on investment! 

Please contact your Shur-Gro Agronomist for assistance in developing a crop budget for 2019

Merry Christmas

From

Shur-Gro Farm Services and Southeast Seeds Inc.

We would like to thank all of our customers who made it out to the branch Christmas Parties.  A lot of fun and food was shared with families and friends.

As the year comes to an end, we reflect on all the things we are grateful for, including our relationship with you.  Our customers are an essential part of our business.

Thank you for letting us make your 2018 a successful year.

We look forward to our continued support of your farming operations for 2019.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year.

In 1952 Ken and Noreen Gardiner began farming along the west side of Lake Manitoba in the Lakeland area, starting what is now 2 generations later, Gardiner Farms Ltd. and 7L Ranch Ltd.  Ken and Noreen had a mixed farm with grain crops consisting of primarily wheat, oats, barley, flax, and rapeseed.  They also bought and finished Holstein calves and raised layer and broiler chickens.   Early on, Ken also worked part-time construction, Noreen was on the farm raising their two children Wayne and Bruce.

Before Vince Munro began selling fertilizer in 1958, the only place to buy fertilizer in the Westbourne area was Hanneson Hardware.  In 1958, the Gardiners were one of the first customers to come to Munro Farm Supplies Ltd. and pick up the 50-pound bags off the railway cars in town.  Wayne and Bruce both remember coming to pick up fertilizer with their Dad, as well as applying anhydrous ammonia with an open cab tractor.  The Gardiners were one of the first farms in the area to use anhydrous, which Munro’s supplied for them along with the applicator.  Wayne and Bruce were both invested in the farm at early ages.  Wayne bought his first quarter of land when he was 14 years old for $30/acre, and Bruce put in his first crop at the age of 17.

Today, the Wayne and Bruce farm separately, still in the Lakeland area, with their yards across the section from each other.  Bruce and his partner Heather run Gardiner Farms Ltd. where they grow mainly wheat canola and soybeans on roughly 3,000 acres.  Wayne and his wife Colleen, along with their daughter Dana and her partner Curtis operate 7L Ranch Ltd.  Together they spring calve 620 cows, as well as custom feed approximately 300 calves in addition to their own in the winter.  They also grow 300 acres of corn for silage and grazing, as well about 800 acres of tame hay.

For the 60 years that Munro Farm Supplies has been in business, the Gardiner families have been among the most loyal customers.  When asked why they choose to continue to now do business with Shur-Gro Farm Services, they said it comes down to the excellent service they receive and the laid-back family atmosphere in the office in Westbourne.  We are very lucky to have customers like the Gardiners and would like to thank them for all of their business over the years.

In 2018, Shur-Gro Farm Services celebrates its 50^th year in business, Munro Farm Supplies celebrates its 60^th year and South East Seeds celebrates its 10^th year in business.  We wish to thank our customers for helping us reach these milestone anniversaries and invite all to help us celebrate this year!  Through the years, Ron Helwer, our company President has inspired all of us to focus on the customer with our motto “servicing your growing needs”.  Your success is our success.  Agriculture is the industry that brings us together, and we are committed to working with you to help produce food for a hungry world.

Ron started Shur-Gro in Brandon when he moved here in 1968.  We re-located to our present office and plant on Douglas St in 1976-77.  Both our retail and corporate offices are situated here.  We are very grateful to our local customers for supporting us at our Douglas St location for over 40 years!

Attached are some photos of our Douglas St location through the years:

2018 has been a milestone year for Munro Farm Supplies. Our company has achieved 60 years in business; remaining independently owned in a market sector that has seen some large mergers and take overs recently. We owe this success to both our owners & our customers. From our beginnings with Vince & Helen Munro’s dream; to our middle years growing with Dave Falk; to our current expanded network with Shur-Gro Farm Services & Southeast Seeds under Ron Helwer; we have only seen such longevity due to their business skills and risk taking in purchasing retail outlets in tough times.
We can’t forget our customers support over these past 60 years, because without them, we would not still be in business. Their trust in our service & expertise has led to strong customer relations and even longer friendships over the years. We are proud to support farmers in their passion to feed the world.

We celebrated our 60th Anniversary at our annual customer appreciation event in July 2018. Our Portage event at the Canad Inns was held on July 11th. This event is always a highlight for our customers and staff to have a nice evening out to socialize after all the long hours spent working during seeding and spraying. The room sported some enlarged pictures from our past, including some of the original floaters Munro used to spread fertilizer. After supper, we listened to Ron Helwer tells us a bit about the history of Shur-Gro and Munro. He also spoke about our future as we fully integrate into one company which will not be for sale but will remain an independently owned company. We want our customers to know we will continue to provide the agronomic expertise and service they have come to expect from us.

We appreciate your business and look forward to many more years of serving you.

Written by Barry Lamb

Assiniboine Community College will be presenting Brandon agricultural entrepreneur Ron Helwer with an honorary diploma in Agribusiness at the college’s upcoming graduation ceremony in Brandon on June 14.

Mr. Helwer and his family have owned and operated Shur-Gro Farm Services since 1968. They purchased Munro Farm Supplies in 1990 and a majority stake in South East Seeds in 2017. Mr. Helwer is president of all three companies.

“Ron Helwer has been in business for more than 50 years, providing an important service to the farming community and hundreds of high-skilled jobs, many of them filled by Assiniboine grads. We are delighted that Mr. Helwer has agreed to accept this honour,” said Assiniboine President Mark Frison.

“I’m very honoured and pleased to be nominated. Assiniboine Community College has been very important to us for sourcing excellent employees. We have many employees who have been through their agribusiness courses,” said Mr. Helwer.

Shur-Gro offers financial help to employees who wish to further their education and provides scholarships at Assiniboine.

At 85 years of age, Mr. Helwer shows no signs of slowing down. He can’t wait to get to the office every morning.

“Friends say, ‘You should be retired.’ I say, ‘Well, what’s retirement?’ They say, ‘Doing what you want to do.’ I say, ‘That’s what I’m doing.’ I enjoy what I’m doing and the people I work with.”
His wife Vera and their three adult children, Sherry, Reg and Gail, all share in the ownership of the businesses, but are not actively involved.

Ron Helwer started Shur-Gro in 1968 when farmers were decreasing their use of fertilizer because of low farm prices, causing some fertilizer dealers to look for an opportunity to sell out.

“Why would I want in when things were going downhill? Well, my philosophy has always been to look forward with optimism. And it turned out well, because I could pick up those businesses for a reasonable cost,” Mr. Helwer recalled.

Mr. Helwer’s advice to Assiniboine grads is never to rest on one’s laurels. “It would be nice if you could get to a level in business where you say, ‘I’m going to stay at that level.’ But that doesn’t happen in business. My theory is, if we’re not going ahead, we’re going back. So we need to progress. We need to be forward-thinking and looking for opportunities,” he said.

In 1978, Mr. Helwer played a key role in establishing the Western Fertilizer and Chemical Dealers Association and served as its President from 1979 to 1980. He also served with the National Fertilizer Solution Association in the U.S. from 1977 to 1991. Mr. Helwer has been a long-time supporter and advocate of the Canadian Association of Agri-Retailers (CAAR). He received the Chairman’s Award in 1981 and Retailer Hall of Fame Award in 2007, and Shur-Gro was recognized with the Chairman’s Award in 2012. Mr. Helwer was inducted into the Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2014.

Assiniboine awards honorary diplomas to those who demonstrate excellence in their personal and professional accomplishments. A list of recipients is included below.

Ten years sounds like a long time to most people, when in reality looking back, the last 10 years have flown by incredibly fast. Thankfully, the journey has been incredible every step of the way. South East Seeds was an idea that started while repairing a flex header in a soybean field. The next thing you know we were selling soybean and corn seed based out of Niverville, MB. Even though we started selling seed in 2008, we didn’t set up shop until the spring of 2010. ‘Baby steps’ was our business model and humble beginnings were a huge part in our success. With the Niverville location doing so well we decided to set up in the Dugald area in 2012. Blaine Epp came on board and has been taking care of those customers ever since. The goal has never changed… Relationships that develop into friendships and customer service every minute the farmer is working.

https://youtu.be/jBuZK6jYrjg

In 2018, Shur-Gro Farm Services will celebrate its 50^th year in business, Munro Farm Supplies will celebrate its 60^th year in business and South East Seeds will celebrate its 10^th year in business.  We wish to thank our customers for helping us reach these milestone anniversaries and invite all to help us celebrate this year!  Through the years, Ron Helwer, our company President has inspired all of us to focus on the customer with our moto “servicing your growing needs”.  Your success is our success.  Vince Munro, founder of Munro Farm Supplies stated, “Look after your customer and they will look after you.”  This great philosophy guides us in our day-to-day relationships with customers.  Agriculture is the industry that brings us together, and we are committed to working with our farm customers to help produce food for generations to come.

Thank you to all of you for helping us reach this milestone in our history.  Munro Farm Supplies – 60 years, Shur-Gro Farm Services 50 years and new to the fold South East Seeds 10 years!

The Shoal Lake branch of Shur-Gro Farm Services Ltd was established in 1980. Many things have changed since then but the final outcome and goal for our customers still remains the same, the Shur-Gro staff are always here to service all your growing needs.

Edgehill Farms Ltd formed its roots when three Findlay brothers travelled from lower Ontario and homesteaded in the now Shoal Lake area in 1879. At that time there was not much to be found in the area besides a North West Mounted Police office that resided on the south-west side of the lake. It wasn’t until 1885 when the Canadian Pacific Railway laid down tracks just north of the lake; this in turn was the start of a community beginning to form. Shoal Lake became an official village on January 12^th, 1909.

Glen and Kay are fourth generation farmers of the Findlay family. Over the years Glen has had a very strong involvement within the agricultural industry and then decided to become directly involved with the family farm in 1969. At that time the farm consisted of 600 acres and a small herd of cattle. The Findlay’s started growing canola (rapeseed) in the 1960’s and were early adaptors for the crop in doing so, and the now Yellowhead Municipality area has been deemed the roots for where canola crops first started being grown. Growing canola wasn’t how it is nowadays and Glen has been through all the canola growing learning curves; from dealing with the early management stages of weed issues, green seed, sclerotinia, and clubroot. GPS and modern technology in farm equipment has played a large role in greatly improving the yield and quality in both crops and cattle over the years. Glen’s son Gary became involved with the farm in 1975. The Findlay’s have been dealing with Shur-Gro and Ron Helwer since 1980 when the Shoal Lake branch first opened. Also, in the 1980’s they continued growing rapeseed that was refined for its erucic acid content, which was used for oil in military engines. Over the years big changes continued to happen on the farm including when they purchased their first high clearance sprayer in the 1990’s. Carey joined forces with Glen and Gary in 2010 to become involved with Edgehill Farms. Now they have around 250 head of cattle and over 6000 acres of crop and pasture/hay land. They grow canola, wheat, soybeans, barley, and corn. The Findlay’s are now a seventh generation family farm and have played a huge part in both the Shur-Gro and Shoal Lake community over the years. Shur-Gro Farm Services Ltd would like to extend a huge thank you to the Findlay family for their dedicated service and friendship over the years, here’s too many more!

Shur-Gro Farm Services Ltd celebrates its 50^th anniversary milestone for 2018 with Ron Helwer having guided the way.