The Scoular Co. has purchased the Tri-Fields Farms grain elevator in Manitoba.
Randy Penner, former owner and operator of Tri-Field Farms, and other Tri-Field staff will continue to work at the facility as Scoular employees. Under this arrangement, growers will continue to work with local staff to market their rye, wheat, soybeans, corn, and special crops, while gaining the advantage of access to Scoular’s expansive commodity marketing network.
The Tri-Field Farms facility in Netley is located on the Lake Line Railroad, a shortline with access to the CP at Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada. The elevator was built by Manitoba Pool Elevators, which merged with Alberta Pool into Agricore. It was sold in 2000, prior to Agricore’s merger with United Grain Growers.
“We operate more than 90 facilities in the U.S. and Canada and source grains, oilseeds, and special crops from growers and commercial companies in North America, South America, and Asia,” said Jeff Vipond, Scoular’s senior marketing manager who works in the company’s Calgary office. “Our role is to connect local production to the best market. We give our end-use customers the products they need, when and where they need them, and bring the value of that demand back to growers.”
Vipond says Scoular is no stranger to the Netley area, noting that commodity merchandisers from the company’s Calgary office have worked closely with Penner for the past three years. During this time, Scoular made significant investments in the facility to improve the marketability of locally produced grains and oilseeds.
“I’ve enjoyed working with Scoular over the years, and I’m excited to help grow the business under the company’s ownership,” said Penner. “Scoular’s commodity marketing expertise, combined with its people’s relationships with distillers, flour millers, exporters, and railroads, brings value to this operation and the local growers it serves.”
“We’ve been actively seeking opportunities to invest in assets and to expand our network in Canada to better serve our customers,” said Vipond. “We’re impressed with the operation that Randy has established and we’re looking forward to expanding on what he started.”
Scoular has been an active player in the Canadian agricultural marketplace since the late 1990s when it opened its Calgary office. In November 2015, the company substantially expanded its presence in Canada through its purchase of Legumex Walker’s Special Crops Division. The acquisition included the business and people of the division as well as multiple processing and receiving facilities in Canada and the U.S.
