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When you have a century-old family farm that has evolved into a seed company with one of the largest portfolios in Saskatchewan, you simply don’t mess with a good thing. You do, however, have to plan for the future, as a new generation prepares to extend the operation’s success into the next hundred years.
That’s exactly what’s happening at McDougall Acres on Hwy 39 near Moose Jaw. The family-owned and operated company, which buys and sells export quality chickpeas and is a pet food ingredient supplier, is being rebranded with a new logo and new name: McDougall Acres Grainex Inc.
But that’s the extent of the changes.
“We just want people to know that we’re not going anywhere,” says owner Ken McDougall. “McDougall Acres Grainex Inc. is the same people, the same company, the same products and the same services. We’re working towards the next stage in our evolution as a company, so there’s some succession planning going on here.”
McDougall’s daughter, Sarah O’Doherty, is part of the company’s new phase, and one that will keep the farm in the family for yet another generation. She’s not going anywhere, she says, and customers can expect everything on the yard to remain the same.
“One of our taglines is ‘Seed, Producer, Market’,” she explains. “The whole idea is that we can basically be your one-stop shop. You can get your seed here; we can help you with the markets; we’re going to work hard to source your seed for you as well as help you with the marketing after the fact.”
It’s an extensive undertaking. McDougall offers more than 30 of the best-performing varieties of Certified seed and also buys lentils, peas, chickpeas and dry beans from producers for their pet food program. Additionally, it operates a food-grade chickpea export business, selling calibrated chickpeas to over 30 countries around the world. Given the scope of products and services, the company relies on a dedicated staff to ensure customers’ needs are met.
“We have people that have been with us for more than 20 years,” says McDougall. “We’ve been able to assemble a great group of people over the years, and the company has also provided an opportunity for a number of people in Moose Jaw to work with us and support their families.”
McDougall says his father, Bob, would be proud.
“He was always thinking about what the next step should be to move ahead with the farm,” McDougall reflects. When my brother Craig and I came back to the farm, we built a seed plant and Dad got to see how we evolved and diversified the business. So having our kids involved is important to us. It’s heartwarming and gives me goose bumps.”
Although their range of products and services continues to develop alongside the agricultural industry, McDougall Acres Grainex Inc’s mission is actually quite a simple one. It wants to help every producer who connects with them, whether through seed sourcing, cleaning, marketing, or purchasing for ingredients in pet food.
“If it’s a seed product the producer needs, we’ll either have it or we’ll help them find it,” McDougall says. “If they need help marketing a variety of seed, we’ll help with that as well. We really believe that in some way, shape or form we can help every single grower who phones.”
He concludes: “We’re just passionate about providing a farm service, an agricultural service, to this community.”
McDougall Acres Grainex Inc. is located six miles east of Moose Jaw, just off Hwy 39 – the first yard at the top of the hill on the right-hand side. The company can be reached by calling (306) 693-3649, and further information about its products and services is available online.