As we move into the height of the 2021 growing season, Prograin is reflecting on the importance of our relationships across Canada.
Since our foundation in 1980, Prograin has expanded our roots throughout Eastern and Western Canada, but we haven’t forgotten where our roots began. We were founded by a family of farmers who value, above all, making a positive change in our communities, a change that can’t be made without the support of our producers.
Since moving into Western Canada, we’ve cultivated many relationships with new producers, including Nic Cheslock from Pigeon Bluff Farms in Selkirk, Manitoba, and Robert from R. P. Brunel Inc. in Ste. Rose du Lac, Manitoba.
Keep on reading to hear more about how our relationships with local farmers make a difference worldwide!
Driving change with Pigeon Bluff Farms
Nic Cheslock from Pigeon Bluff Farms is a fourth-generation farmer in his family, and has been growing Prograin soybeans for 3 years now. He graduated with a diploma in Agriculture from the University of Manitoba in 2007, where he met Shawn Rempel, who is now our District Sales Manager for Eastern Manitoba.
It was Shawn who introduced Nic and his family to growing soybeans 11 years ago.
“He had to push hard to get us to try them, but we’re glad he did!” remarks Nic, and they’re just as glad to be working with us now.
One of the most important aspects of our relationships with our producers is our transparency. We aim to create soybean varieties that are 100% adapted to Western Canada’s climate and weather conditions, but we rely on our local growers to achieve that goal.
We currently have a field trial plot at Pigeon Bluff Farms, where Nic is growing Kudo R2X, Mikado R2X, Gecko R2X, Polo R2X, Merino R2X, and Mako R2X. Based on Nic’s personal success with our Kudo R2X variety last year, we are greatly looking forward to this year’s trial results.
With these results, we can gain a better understanding of Manitoba’s growing conditions and continue to create varieties that thrive.
R. P. Brunel Inc. and Prograin: a relationship based on trust
Robert has been growing Prograin soybeans for 6 years now. For him, Prograin’s varieties best suit his farming conditions and deliver the most marketable attributes.
More importantly, though, he sees Prograin as a company who shares the same values. Like Prograin, Robert comes from a history of family farming and takes pride in growing quality products; he’s glad that he can trust Prograin to deliver on those expectations.
“I’ve had the opportunity to meet many of the Prograin team here in Manitoba and also in Quebec,” says Robert. “They have knowledgeable staff that have been great to work with, and truly value the relationships built with their growers.”
Thanks to this relationship, Robert is confident in his crops each year as he knows that our soybeans are built for success.
Prograin’s soybean buyback program: peace of mind guaranteed
As we build relationships with our growers, we’re also establishing our relationships worldwide as we export our IP soybeans to multiple countries.
This means that each crop our farmers grow directly impacts people around the world by giving them access to high-quality ingredients.
As a way to help farmers ensure their crops get to where they need to go, we offer our Buyback Program and our Premium Protection Program. These programs allow our growers to sell their crops back to us, even if they’re not perfect.
We rely on our producers to help us reach our goals, which is why we’ve got their back every step of the way.
Building relationships for a better the world, one crop at a time
Without the relationships we have with our growers, we couldn’t continue to do what we do: make the world a better place with better products. To hear more of what we do day-to-day, be sure to visit us on Twitter!