Ellis Farm Supplies has been granted a primary elevator licence by the Canadian Grain Commission for a location in Wawanesa. The firm has been active in Western Manitoba since 1923.
The licence means farmers who sell grain to the company, owned by Simon and Amanda Ellis, will be protected by a bond posted with the Canadian Grain Commission. The elevator will mostly manage fall rye and flax, along with smaller amounts of peas and specialty crops, the company announced on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, on June 8.
Why it matters: A new grain elevator in Wawanesa by Ellis Farm Supplies gives producers another market option and could address some logistical challenges faced by local producers.
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The new grain elevator provides an additional market option when many companies are exiting the market, and is expected to provide additional access for fall rye and flax.
Ellis Farm Supplies has recently acquired processing equipment and was branching into cover crops from Canada and the United States. When the opportunity arose to obtain a primary elevator licence, it seemed like a fit for the company’s activities, Simon Ellis said.
“It took a lot of thinking and talking to discuss the options. We thought that it would be a pretty good fit for us and would offer our local farmers another option for crop to grow and another place to sell their grain … and we have the equipment here, so we wanted to make good use of it.”
Farmer reaction has been positive, he added.
“We do have a lot of producers growing fall rye, and some that grow flax as well, which is another crop that we’re trying to handle.”
Producers have said they’re relieved to have another option for crop sales, given that some grain companies have closed operations or combined them with others as they manage higher interest rates, insurance and transportation costs.
Producers in the Strathclair area dealt with the closure of Manitoba-owned grain buyer Parrish & Heimbecker’s Glossop location, which went into effect Jan. 31.
“Locally, we’ve got a good group of farmers who have been working with us for a number of years, and just being able to do this is pretty exciting for us at least,” Ellis said.
The elevator plans to buy fall rye from Saskatchewan and further afield when the local supply is exhausted.
“We’re also starting to contract for the new crop rye, or if there’s any old crop fall rye still in bins, we’d be happy to discuss the price and some terms around that.”
