Implement Success 19.2

Implement SUCCESS

FEATURES

Careers in Ag launch

Workforce Campaign page 8

First Peoples Development Inc.

Creating a better future with you page 10

Catching up at Canada's Outdoor Farm Show 2022

Women in ag careers page 11

Raven Industries

From psychology to agriculture page 12

Cancade CBI Ltd.

Women in trades – Ag manufacturing embraces diversity in the workplace page 14

Penta Equipment

An out of the box solution to the skilled labour crisis page 16

2022 Talent & Technology Survey

Continued growth in Canada’s ag manufacturing sector page 18

Claas of America

Brighter thinking page 20

Gene Fraser

Supporting people & having fun every day page 22

S3 Brandworx

Spin off: Internal marketing strengths lead to new division page 24

MLT Aikins

Addressing labour shortages with foreign recruits page 26

Skills Canada Saskatchewan

Cultivating our future workforce page 28

The Do More Agriculture Foundation

Cultivating mental health on the farm page 30

Vodkow Dairy Distillery embraces Canadian ag, innovation and sustainability page 33

THRIVE!

AMC Annual Convention and Trade Show page 34

2022 AMC Golf Tournaments

Three Tee-rrific golf tournaments in three provinces page 36

A national organization with global impact, the Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada represents agricultural equipment manufacturers in Canada and the many companies that supply them. We actively identify and drive opportunities to support industry growth. AMC is the only Canadian association that is 100% dedicated to agricultural equipment manufacturing.

@AMCshortlinecda

linkedin.com/company/amc_3

Fall/Winter

IN THIS ISSUE

Chair’s Message page 5

Thank you to our Corporate Partners page 6

Board of Directors page 6

President’s Message page 7

AMC Re!magination Spotlight page 38

AMC New Member Spotlight page 40

Index to Advertisers page 42

Strategic Priorities

AMC is proud to be the only Canadian association dedicated exclusively to ensuring agricultural equipment manufacturers and their suppliers succeed in domestic and world markets by focusing on three strategic pillars:

AMC Cultivates

Drive Opportunities for Growth

It is our job to continually attract new experts to our brain trust to ensure our association, our members and our industry continue to develop, remain highly competitive and thrive.

AMC Advocates

One United Voice for Our Industry

AMC is an advocacy champion for our members. With decades of industry leadership, Federal and Provincial government representatives listen when AMC speaks. Our advocacy work propels policy change that fuels progress and expansion, making our industry stronger.

AMC Collaborates

National Catalyst for Thought Leadership

AMC is constantly creating new and innovative ways to serve our membership. We provide frequent opportunities for input and exchange where our industry experts can spark and incubate ideas. Through events and our communications, we bring members together for networking, information sharing and collaboration that encourages knowledge to flow and business to grow.

Look for these icons to see how our Strategic Priorities are reinforced in our content!

Walterscheid’ s Power Drive wide angle PTO featuring the P675 joint and K68 clutch transmit 35% more power than customary PTO drive shafts.

AGRICULTURE TURNS ON WALTERSCHEID

For over 100 years, we’ve engineered technology delivering efficiency in the agriculture, construction, mining, utility vehicle and industrial markets. In agricultural operations, the transmission of power via drive shafts is still one of the most important and efficient drive concepts. Our PTO drive shafts with the ULTRA.PLUS system achieve a previously unattainable level of performance, functionality and ease of maintenance. For peace of mind, make sure your equipment has Walterscheid inside.

Contact Sean Ralph at AIC Supply Inc. Tell him you want Walterscheid’s best. He’ll know it’s the ULTRA.PLUS sean@aicsupplyinc.com 204 509 2912

Reflections from AMC’s Board Chair

By Cor Lodder

Following a successful Expo in my hometown of Guelph, I am excited to welcome members to the return of our annual Convention and Trade Show, THRIVE, taking place December 6th and 7th in Banff, Alberta.

Convention is AMC’s signature event where our members can get together, meet one another, gain knowledge on topics important to our industry, create business opportunities, and learn more about how your association is working to ensure our industry continues to THRIVE.

Cor Lodder Chair | Board of Directors Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada

Our first in-person Annual General Meeting in three years will highlight the all-new AMC, reflect on the successes of 2022, and showcase the initiatives in place for 2023 to further drive the growth of agricultural manufacturing in Canada, including the launch of our CareersinAg.ca workforce campaign.

As we celebrate more than 50 years of AMC bringing ag manufacturers and their suppliers together, we look forward to recognizing the founders whose vision and leadership have led to this important milestone and beyond at our inaugural Founders’ Lunch.

Our Convention theme, THRIVE, focuses on sustaining a bright future in ag manufacturing by centering on healthy leaders, healthy teams, and healthy businesses. Keynote speaker Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe will present on cultivating a culture of connection, engagement and resiliency to help organizations and staff navigate change and uncertainty.

In addition, the expanded Trade Show provides many opportunities to connect with other members and create opportunities to support and propel the success of your business.

I take this opportunity to extend a special thank you to this year’s presenting sponsor, Glacier Farm Media, and our many other sponsors for their support of our 2022 Convention and Trade Show. Collaborations like these allow us to host events like THRIVE that foster and promote the growth and development of the agricultural manufacturing industry in Canada.

Register to attend today at a-m-c.ca/convention. I look forward to celebrating with you in Banff!

Thank you to our Corporate Partners

Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada | Board of Directors

Executive

Chair | Cor Lodder

Walinga Inc. Director

PO Box 1790, 70 - 3rd Ave NE Carman, MB R0G 0J0 204-745-2951

Directors

Director | Kristal Allen MLT Aikins Partner Suite 2200 - 222 3rd Ave SW Calgary, AB T2P 0B4 403-693-4312

Vice Chair | Bob Cochran

Highline Manufacturing General Manager PO Box 307, Hwy 27 Vonda, SK S0K 4N0 306-258-2233

Treasurer | Linda Turta RAM Industries Chief Executive Officer PO Box 5007, 33 York Rd E. Yorkton, SK S3N 3Z4 306-786-2678

Past Chair | Frank Capasso

The CTD Group Executive Vice President 1331 Chevrier Blvd. Winnipeg, MB R3T 1Y4 204-453-6833

Director | Mark Hildebrand

Monarch Industries Ltd.

Vice President, Sales PO Box 429, 51 Burmac Rd. Winnipeg, MB R3C 3E4 204-786-7921

Director | Randy Bauman

Bauman Manufacturing/ Eldale Machine & Tool President

3 Industrial Drive Elmira, ON N3B 2S1 519-669-5195

Director | Glenn Buurma

Penta Equipment President

73 Main Street Glencoe, ON N0L 1M0 519-882-3350

Director | Cam Cornelsen

Norstar Industries Vice President PO Box 119, RR1 Morris, MB R0G 1K0 204-746-8833

Director | Paul Horst

TubeLine Mfg/Horst Welding General Manager

6455 Reidwoods Drive Elmira, ON N3B 2Z3 519-669-9488

Director | Robert Maze

Supreme International Ltd. Chief Executive Officer 6010 47th St Wetaskiwin, AB T9A 2R3 780-352-6061

Director | Kiera Young MacDon Industries Ltd. Senior Vice President, Customers, Products & Services 680 Moray St. Winnipeg, MB R3J 3S3 204-885-5590

Message from AMC’s President

By Donna Boyd

As we look ahead to our 2022 Convention and Trade Show, THRIVE, we know the Canadian ag manufacturing industry is strong, renowned for its quality and innovation, and a driver of local economies nationwide. At the same time, we recognize the unprecedented challenges our industry faces in recruiting qualified talent to bolster its continued success.

Donna Boyd | President Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada

This has led to the development and launch of the focus of this edition of Implement Success, CareersinAg.ca , a workforce campaign to build awareness of jobs and opportunities within agricultural manufacturing and provide a platform for nationwide programs, funding and collaboration.

Thank you to each of our members who participated in our annual Talent and Technology Survey (formerly known as the Salary Survey.) This research effort provided us with vital data informing our advocacy efforts and the direction of CareersinAg.ca. You can learn about some of the key highlights from this year’s Talent and Technology Survey on page 18.

Throughout this issue of Implement Success, you will meet three new ambassadors of CareersinAg.ca: Ashley Dutchak, welder at Cancade CBI Ltd.; Gene Fraser, retiree and former Global Vice President, Sales and Marketing at MacDon Industries Ltd.; and Chris Morson, Regional Sales Manager at Raven Industries. These profiles, found on pages 14, 16 and 22, join the two profiles published in our Summer edition to provide a window into the variety of opportunities available and the realities of working in agricultural manufacturing. You can also scan the QR codes provided to see video interviews with Tara Krajewski and Jordan Graber, CareersinAg.ca ambassadors filmed on location at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show.

This multimedia component is just one of the many facets of the campaign, serving as the cornerstone of our upcoming CareersinAg.ca website – the go-to destination for employers and job seekers to promote, find, and learn more about available opportunities in ag manufacturing. The campaign will be augmented by career education events, plant tours, and partnerships with industry, government and academia. We encourage our member companies to reach out and take

WORKFORCE CAMPAIGN

Supporting our members and our industry in Manufacturing Jobs of the Future

Responding to the immediate need for an influx of skilled workers to support the agricultural manufacturing industry, AMC is initiating a workforce campaign to build awareness of jobs and opportunities within the industry. AMC will advocate for nationwide programs, funding and collaboration while establishing itself as the source for information on careers in shortline agricultural manufacturing.

Partnerships with participating AMC member companies, educational institutions and governments will showcase careers in agricultural manufacturing through physical events in several provinces along with digital components, helping AMC members further their own recruitment for skilled labour.

As part of the workforce campaign, the building and promotion of the stand-alone, ag manufacturing specific website CareersinAg.ca will allow members to have job postings listed and promoted. This part of the campaign

has commenced on the AMC website. Members are encouraged to list their open positions. Positions remaining open as CareersinAg.ca transitions to full stand-alone website will be transferred to the new site.

Workforce campaign events such as career education days, plant and company tours, launch of CareersinAg. ca, and both online and print publishing will target and engage students, student advisors, government and AMC member companies.

These outreach methods will encourage an influx of skilled talent to enter agricultural manufacturing educational programs or careers.

Increasing awareness among students, parents and advisors of the exciting and rewarding careers in ag manufacturing has already started with a number of career fairs.

The campaign will extend far beyond attracting students to pursue careers in ag manufacturing. Goals extend

to securing funding to support talent recruitment and professional development opportunities, establishing AMC as the platform for ag manufacturing job seekers, and fostering participation among AMC members to build local awareness of the benefits of careers in ag manufacturing and sharing advocacy priorities with their local government representatives.

The Workforce Campaign will launch at AMC Convention and Trade Show 2022 in Banff, Alberta.

AMC Cultivates

AMC Advocates

One United Voice for Our Industry

Drive Opportunities for Growth AMC Collaborates National Catalyst for Thought Leadership

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

Creating a better future with you.

First Peoples Development Inc (FPDI) is a not-for-profit organization that is focused on providing resources that address the needs of First Nation community members including training, financial support and capacity building. Additional training and employment services provided by FPDI include the Practical Nursing program, Construction Electrician Pre-employment Program, Robotics program, Childcare program, Welding program, Class 1 Driver training, Drone project on digital agriculture, Plumbing, Heavy Equipment Operator program, Home builders and Food security project. In all its activities FPDI looks to infuse growth, individual and group development, technological advancement, sustainability and skills acquisition into any community with which its involved.

The Drone Project -Growing Digital Agriculture Initiative, in partnership with Decision Works and the University of Winnipeg, is intended to create a significant depth of knowledge within the University of Winnipeg on advancing the use of digital technologies to support modern agricultural techniques.

The Food Security Project involves establishing a greenhouse in the community and putting in place a fresh produce distribution system. The greenhouse and fresh produce distribution system will compliment the existing NCN Country Food

Program that is now available to members. The greenhouse will operate on a year-round basis.

FPDI conducts its activities through a variety of initiatives that provide

“Employers seeking first year apprentices will receive financial incentives. Employers with 499 employees or fewer, are eligible for a hiring incentive of $5000. An additional $5,000 is available for hiring of key groups: women, Indigenous people, newcomers, persons with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ2+ communities, visible minorities.”

candidates with the best chance at matching skills and interest with gainful employment in high demand jobs. Through the Apprenticeship Support Project (ASP) , FPDI actively works with partners to secure sustainable employment for apprentices in their first year. There is a wide net of possible trades covered by the Red Seal trades list and FPDI is committed not only to helping apprentices and small- medium

enterprises match in partnership, but also to providing helpful resources to both parties along the way.

Employers seeking first year apprentices will receive financial incentives.

Employers with 499 employees or fewer, are eligible for a hiring incentive of $5000. An additional $5,000 is available for hiring of key groups: women, Indigenous people, newcomers, persons with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ2+ communities, visible minorities.

This project is open to everyone. With our FPDI- partner collaborations in the Apprenticeship Support Project, there are no limits to the opportunities for advancement that our participants and their communities are exposed to. We push the boundaries and bring practical and obtainable skills to participants to start them on the path to personal achievement. There are so many success stories as a result of a combination of FPDI’s resources, determination and effort from participants. The organization is committed to investing in the growth of communities through accessible education and resources.

AMC Cultivates Drive Opportunities for Growth

AMC Collaborates National Catalyst for Thought Leadership

WOMEN IN AG CAREERS

CAREERS IN AG PROFILES

In the Summer 2022 issue of Implement Success we introduced you to two vibrant women who found fulfilling careers in ag manufacturing. At Canada's Outdoor Farm Show we caught up with them both to ask them a little more about their career paths and what advice they may have for people considering entering ag manufacturing.

Working in Sales and Parts at Bauman Manufacturing, Jordan Graber has advice for anyone thinking of getting into ag manufacturing – ask questions! She tells us that no matter your interests, there is bound to be a facet of agriculture and ag manufacturing that appeals to those looking for a rewarding career.

Tara Krajewski, Brand Manager for Salford Group, tells us that the doors are open to women seeking careers in ag manufacturing. She says there’s something for everyone and growth opportunities available in the sector.

Jordan Graber

Tara Krajewski

From Psychology to Agriculture

By Karen Sample and Janet Morley

When Chris Morson left home to study psychology and earn a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management, he never dreamed that his career path would lead him to a successful and fulfilling role in agricultural manufacturing.

Currently working with Raven Industries, a technology solutions provider for Agriculture manufacturing with their autonomous platform OMNiPOWER™ as Sales Specialist, he was excited to share his passion for agriculture, manufacturing, and his perspective on what it will take to get more students to seriously consider a career in agriculture.

Morson was raised in Langbank, Saskatchewan in a family with farming on the paternal side and oil on the maternal side. When Morson was about five or six, his parents decided to leave

PROFILE

CHRIS MORSON

Regional Sales Manager Raven Industries

the farm and work at the oil company in Alameda, Saskatchewan. Although too far away to help on the home farm, his father kept his hand in helping local farmers around Alameda. Morson says he, “understood and respected farming, but just never had the bug at all not growing up on the farm.”

A career path needn’t be row straight

When Morson left for university to study psychology and then hotel and restaurant management, his parents sold the oil company to their hired man and bought back into the family farm in Langbank. Given the economic difficulties of the 80s, the return to farming didn’t work out as expected. However, Seed Hawk opened and Morson’s father became one of the company’s first employees. When family health issues came about, Morson decided to move home to Langbank and took a job with Seed Hawk on the factory floor. The company soon realized Morson’s outgoing personality would make him a great ambassador and started sending him to trade shows and

training events. Within a year he was asked to move into sales and marketing. Morson spent 10 years with Seed Hawk through the transition over to Väderstad and then moved on to Farmer’s Edge for four years as digital ag lead. An important part of that job was acting as interface between the company and producers and reporting back on whether he felt that R&D was on the right track to shape the product into what farmers needed it to be.

On one such farm visit to Norbert Beaujot’s farm, Morson drove right up to DOT (now OMNiPOWER™) and knew instantly that he wanted to be part of bringing autonomy to the industry. The opportunity came up a couple of years later and Morson joined the DOT team shortly before it was acquired by Raven Industries. Raven was then acquired by CNH Industrial which led Morson from working from a “little boutique 35-person company” to being one of about 1,300, and then one of a team of around 60,000.

That might have felt like being swallowed

up by first a lake and then an ocean, but Morson says, “The horsepower of both Raven and CNH being injected into this project is just amazing – how fast it’s able to move and come to market and attract talent and find the proper engineers and tool sets. It’s good but it’s a very different direction than I thought my career was going to go when I decided to work at DOT.”

Not so typical week at the office

“There’s a long list of things that I like about working in agriculture, but probably one of my favourites is that I can answer that question the same every time; I don’t have a typical week.” Morson continues, “I have a plan of certain things I have to be at when it comes to trade shows and meetings that I’m going to have to make it to, but every week is different – new customers, new challenges, it is anything but stale.

“This is what we need to get out [to prospective employees]. Especially on the engineering side, we are moving at lightning-fast pace, way faster than the average person that has nothing to do with agriculture would ever guess.” Morson uses OMNiPOWER™ as an example, “This was basically drawn on a pizza box less than four years ago and now we’re dragging it all over the world showing everybody that we’re doing this. We’re not done, there’s perception systems and all kinds of work on this but it works and it’s in the field in practice right now. I guarantee the automotive industry started on this long before we did and have a lot more companies all contributing to it and we’re just pounding it out and that’s good old farmer ingenuity.” Morson says he doesn’t know anyone on the ag manufacturing side that didn’t start as a farm shop that saw a need for a piece of machinery to be built better than it was, and they built a few and sold to the neighbours

CAREERS IN AG PROFILE

and things grew and before long they were occupying a piece of a much larger market. Ag manufacturing is a tight industry for that.

Morson’s education in hotel management and psychology perhaps isn’t typical of what you might expect for someone working in ag manufacturing, “I kind of fell into ag because of Seed Hawk and that being a local company. I love the industry. I love the people.” he says, “You’re starting to run into all kinds of educations now as we’re attracting more and more talent to it.”

think hayseed. It’s somewhat our own fault for marketing divisions wanting it to look like this romantic thing but there are powerful exciting careers in this industry, and we just need to let the world know.” These ‘manufactured’ misconceptions of ag manufacturing are coupled with natural misconceptions that anyone may have who isn’t employed on a farm or in an ag manufacturing facility to reduce visibility of the industry. As Morson points out, even he had misconceptions about agriculture. “I just didn’t think they used technology. I knew there were big tractors and lots of horsepower, but I never dreamt of being a part of bringing things like sectional control and variable rate and the GPS controls and now robotics and autonomy – I never guessed that the industry would be that quick and accepting of those technologies.”

Ag versus other industries

Although remote meetings are fairly new for many, having been necessitated by COVID-19 protocols, Morson says he’s been working remotely for 16 years. “The industry not only supports me, they encourage me in it. Staying grounded out by where your customers are is an incredibly valuable thing for the manufacturers in this industry. It certainly causes the odd pain point, but for the most part the benefit has been huge enough that they’ve encouraged me to go ahead and work remotely.”

What can the industry do to attract the right people?

Part of the issue with ag manufacturing attracting the right people in sufficient numbers, Morson feels, is a romanticized image of agriculture. “A lot of people

In many industries, new hires fresh out of training, whether that be college, trade, or university, need to fight long and hard to advance their careers. Not necessarily so in ag, says Morson. For example, jumping as a small coding fish into the big pond of automotive, “I think you’d be writing very simplistic, boring code for years trying to gain your spot whereas if you come to agriculture, I would say within a month you're going to be doing something that's going to be changing the way that a robot is doing something in the field. Your career gets to become exciting faster. There's still going to be a typical workday for a lot of people in this industry, but it's just fast-tracked.”

Morson says, “I don’t think you’ll find many industries that are more accepting of new technologies quicker.” This is perhaps the least known benefit of ag manufacturing that should be used to attract a young workforce who is not just accepting technology but is embracing it and excited by it.

Who do ag and ag manufacturing need to attract?

“With agriculture we need every career just like every other sector of any other industry needs every career, and the benefit of coming to work for us is the end customer. If you're willing to go meet them, they would invite you to their kitchen table to get to know them and that that's just not everywhere.”

“There are powerful exciting careers in this industry, and we just need to let the world know.”

OMNiPOWER™ is an autonomous power platform that couples with ag implements — like a seeder, sprayer, or spreader — so it can perform multiple tasks autonomously for your farming operation.

PROFILE

ASHLEY DUTCHAK

Welder Cancade CBI Ltd.

Women in trades – Ag manufacturing embraces diversity in the workplace

By Karen Sample and Janet Morley

In a time when skilled trades are in such high demand, Ashley Dutchak, a welder graduating with high marks, had trouble getting anyone to give her a chance. After being turned away by companies in other industries, she applied at Cancade CBI Ltd., an AMC member company in Brandon, Manitoba, and felt welcome immediately. Four years later, she has not looked back and is embracing ag manufacturing, with its stability and potential for career advancement.

Dutchak was raised by a single mom on the prairies but has almost no connection to agriculture. Her father, a mechanic, was raised on a mixed farm between Dauphin and Swan River, Manitoba, but knowing her dad was raised on a farm was as close as she had ever come to agriculture before joining Cancade.

After completing high school in 2013, Dutchak started working towards a Bachelor of Business but quickly figured out university was not for her. “That’s not to say I didn’t get good marks. I was just not very happy.” Taking a few years off to reassess while working various jobs, she decided she wanted to be working with her hands building things and enrolled at Assiniboine Community College (ACC) in the welding program.

Dutchak went through a nine-month program for machining and welding, earning her certificate from ACC then

completed her three-week practicum at Gabler Welding Ltd. in Carberry, Manitoba. From there, she began to apply for jobs to apprentice.

That sort of experience might cause some people to lose faith in finding a position in manufacturing where she would be both welcomed and appreciated. Dutchak, however, persevered.

Apprenticeship to lead hand

Then she applied to Cancade and immediately felt welcomed. “It was fantastic. Honestly, they’ve treated me so well over the years.”

Asked if she had considered a job in ag manufacturing before being hired at Cancade, Dutchak answered that she hadn’t. “It was the one place in town that actually gave me a chance, and it worked out in my favour. I’m lead hand there now. They have a lot of faith [in me].”

Barriers to non-traditional skilled tradespeople still exist

“I had a lot of trouble finding a place that would give me any opportunity in town, just because I’m a woman,” says Dutchak. Eventually, she changed her name on her resume to her initials and suddenly started getting responses to her applications. She recalls one instance where, based on email communication, she was called for an in-person interview at one company. While she sat waiting to be interviewed, she heard the interviewer tell his receptionist to make an excuse to get rid of her because he wasn’t going to hire a woman.

All her years apprenticing were done at Cancade, “They actually pushed me really hard to get it done, she says. Last year in May she attained her Red Seal. Tradespersons successfully passing the Red Seal examination with over 70% receive a Red Seal endorsement on their provincial/territorial trade certificate. The Red Seal indicates that a tradesperson has demonstrated the knowledge required for the national standard in that trade. It is a point of pride in skilled workers, promotes excellence to employers, and facilitates labour mobility. Following that achievement, Dutchak was promoted to lead hand three months later in August 2021.

Openness of ag manufacturing leads to rewarding career

“I had a lot of trouble finding a place that would give me any opportunity in town, just because I’m a woman.”

Why Cancade

Dutchak had heard that Cancade was a great company for apprenticeship from the previous lead hand. “He finished his apprenticeship and got his Red Seal right before I got hired, and he ended up being lead hand right before me. It’s a good place for growth, to learn the basics, and build from there.”

Cancade tries to give as many students as possible their workplace practicum. Dutchak says, “We’ll try to make work for them so that they’re able to get their certificate. We’d like to give everybody the opportunity to be able to finish school with that certificate.”

What trade schools can do better to prepare their students

About her experience at Cancade, Dutchak says that everyone was welcoming and friendly, but her apprenticeship was definitely a learning experience. She knew how to weld and was very good at it but, “I had no idea how to put anything together at all because they don’t teach you how to do that in school. I think they are starting to do more of that now.”

To make the school part of trades education better for upcoming welders Dutchak would like to see more emphasis on fabrication. “You have so much education put towards learning how to set a machine and be able to problem solve welding difficulties.” But there needs to be more focus on fabrication. She would like to see students] get to build something from a drawing. “I think people would benefit from that a lot more. I feel like I definitely would have benefited if I had done that in my course for sure.”

Current role as lead hand

In her role as lead hand Dutchak is responsible for solving problems when other employees have difficulty with welds and interpreting drawings. “It’s basically making sure everybody is okay in their workspace,and has work during the day.” The shop has between 10 and 15 welders on staff, men and women ranging from late teens to early sixties.

Dutchak thrives on the responsibility of her position, enjoys being able to help and teach people. “Every day is a little bit different. I try to tell them the easiest way to accomplish the task in the fastest time. It's been wonderful working with Cancade, because everybody was so accepting right from the start. I enjoy my job for sure.”

Working in the shop allows for plenty of variety of projects for Dutchak and the other Cancade welders. If it’s made of aluminum or steel and can sit on the back of a truck or move around on wheels, they build it. From chassis to boxes and bale

CAREERS IN AG PROFILE

decks, agriculture and construction kept Dutchak and her team busy throughout the pandemic. “We’ve stayed steady throughout COVID-19 which has been awesome considering how many people were unable to work. We continued to stay running throughout the whole thing.”

Typical Week

A typical week for Dutchak starts out with quality control in the shop. From there, new projects are started, she assigns work, and she will assist anybody needing help to make their job a bit easier. She says her main responsibility is making sure everybody is doing their job as safely and easily as possible, “because you don't want to stress yourself out at work, right? You should enjoy your job.”

Rewards of a career in ag manufacturing

When asked if ag manufacturers open to hiring women are capitalizing on an opportunity that other industries are passing by, Dutchak commented, “Absolutely. 100 percent. I thoroughly enjoy it. I love it! I love my job. I couldn't recommend joining trades enough.”

“It's honestly, probably the best job I've ever had.” Not a statement to be taken lightly from a person like Dutchak who has worked far more jobs in her young life than many may work in a lifetime.

Future

Looking to the future, Dutchak would like to eventually go back to school. Described by a close friend as the modern-day feminist, she says whatever she ends up doing, the tech and trades side will figure prominently in her life.

Advice to others, particularly women, considering an ag manufacturing career

Dutchak would recommend a career in ag manufacturing to anyone pondering their career choices. With no ag background needed and the educational expenses far less onerous than for a university degree, it’s a wise choice for someone looking for a rewarding career right out of the gate. “It costs way less than university, and you get to work as you learn. If you’re someone who likes working with their hands, you're not going to get bored. It's always going to be something new. You're going to be learning new things every day. I can't recommend trades enough.”

“Honestly, I think more people should go into trades for sure. You might do the same thing a couple times in a row, depending on how many orders are in or how many units are in that order, but for the most part, you get to bounce around all over the place, and build different things, which is nice.”

Dutchak urges women considering a trades career not to be intimidated by the hiring process, “Keep trying because it will eventually work out in your favour if you’re good at it and you enjoy it. People will see that and they will appreciate it.” The teachers at ACC will contact Dutchak any time they have a female student who is having problems finding work. “They get hold of me, and we give them a chance at the shop. It’s actually really nice that I’m able to help more women come through and join in the trade.”

This story makes it clear that ag manufacturing is blazing a trail of acceptance and willingness to embrace a changing workforce. Ashley Dutchak’s experience at Cancade backs up a lasting impression that AMC Chair Cor Lodder left when touring Walinga’s Guelph plant at AMC Guelph Expo this past spring. Going through the welding shop, he pointed to one of the welders and said, “That is one of our women welders. Women have incredible attention to detail.”

“It costs way less than university, and you get to work as you learn.”

Ashley Dutchak

An out of the box solution to the skilled labour crisis

Penta Equipment Welding School

By Karen Sample and Janet Morley

The current labour market has created a new set of challenges in recruitment – particularly in the skilled sector. Agricultural manufacturers are not the only companies faced with unmet requirements for welders, labourers and supervisors (to name a few positions).

As the Penta team considered the need for more welders to satisfy the growing demand for their equipment, the team had to think about how to attract and retain new people to the company so that they can continue to grow.

Penta Equipment, in southwestern Ontario, has two facilities, with administration and production in Glencoe and finished goods, parts and purchasing located in Thamesville. Close to major highways and U.S. border crossings, the company is in an ideal location for moving their TMR mixers, manure spreaders and dump boxes that are manufactured to market.

In the mainly rural area where Penta operates, the potential pool of workers is much smaller than in larger communities where someone might consider commuting across a city or even to the next sizable town from their place of residence.

Brainstorming

Jayne Cogswell, General Manager of Penta Equipment, explains what Penta needs is a continuous stream of qualified people to fill the many vacancies the company has available. Cogswell had many conversations with Jamie Newman, Human Resources Manager, about the issue as they struggled to meet the needs for production. “We have to think outside the

box. If we can’t recruit people, how are we going to get them?” she asks.

Eventually, through those organic conversations, an idea emerged. “We’re going to have to find some young people who might not have the opportunity [for further education] and see if we can establish something where we can train internal talent. It’s like farming, if you want a crop you need to plant seeds,” Cogswell says, “The local high school might have talent…If they know someone who is trying to find their way, why don’t we see if they want to try this?”

Penta’s Owner/President, Glenn Buurma, was “wildly enthusiastic” and supportive of the teams’ initiative and gave his blessing to forge ahead and plant those seeds by developing an internal welding school.

Cogswell describes the company’s internal culture as strong and supportive. “We have an experienced welder in Steve Bentley who is an ‘on the floor’ mentor to anybody who comes through the doors. All the guys that are supervising are really wonderful people.”

As a result of the awesome Penta team on the shop floor - the internal teaching talent ‘box’ was ticked.

The first external ‘box’ was ticked by reaching out to Michele Sands of Community Employment Choices in Strathroy. Sands advised that Penta would need to find a certified third-party trainer to do the class work and develop the curriculum, in order to qualify for government funding.

Through random searching that ‘box’ was also ticked. Cogswell says. “We found Technical Training Group in Stratford that is willing to help Penta source an approved trainer to come in one day per week to provide training to the welding school students.

“It’s a collaborative effort. The trainer does the classroom part and may be on the floor a little bit, but our people can do the practical piece.” Cogswell continues by saying that she has also been in contact with Glencoe District High School. The team from GDHS is also ‘all in’ to develop a coop piece in partnership with Penta. Everyone is thinking it through for the benefit of the potential welding students who will be welcomed into Penta.

The final external ‘box’ was ticked by connecting with Canada Ontario Job Grants to procure funding for the program. “It’s for employers to provide actual job training specific to the workplace.” Cogswell continues, “we’ve gotten money in the past from them to train our people on our new ERP [Enterprise Resource Planning] system.” Again, Community Employment Choices is an integral part of this procurement.

Additionally, Penta will collaborate with the community for their recruitment efforts through word of mouth as well as employees to help get the message to potential welding school students. Mobile signs will also be hosted locally by various people and businesses in the area.

Penta Cultivates Changing Culture

“The changing labour market is lifting the stigma from trades”, Cogswell says, and that respect and attention is growing. People entering trades “understand they’re contributing in a significant way.”

Penta Collaborates

Once the seed of the idea was planted internally, Cogswell started reaching out to find and grow the team they’d need to get the school up and running. The network is built on both internal and external resources.

Penta fosters core values of the family farm in every decision made by the company, and

Penta recognizes that some of the best people to help turn the tide are those within their own company who are already enjoying the benefits of being skilled tradespeople. Cogswell hopes to grow the wave of young people choosing trades with their employee referral program. As she explains, “we’ve told our employees if there’s a youth trying to find their way, and they can’t afford to register at a college, or they don’t

“The course is free to the student and we're going to pay them an hourly rate to be in the school.”

CAREERS IN AG PROFILE

even know if welding is for them, why don’t we give it a whirl and see if they want to try being part of our program here.”

Not your average trades school

At the end of the Penta Welding School training, the students will receive a certificate, but the structure of the program will be markedly different than a traditional college trades program. Instead of spending several weeks or months in a classroom before gaining work experience, Penta welding school students will spend the up to 12 weeks of the program on the job site. The course will focus on Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welding, which is what Penta relies on to make its’ equipment.

Each week will consist of one day of formal classroom time learning all the basics of welding. The other four days will be spent in the plant learning alongside Penta employee mentors who will guide the students through practical welding tasks. The practical part of the course will start with safety training and protocols. The students will then circulate through a variety of workstations working with senior welders who will demonstrate how each task is done and then guide the students through accomplishing that task themselves.

At the end of the 12-week course, each student will be assigned a junior welding role. Supervisors will continue to work with them to make sure that the work they’re producing meets quality standards.

Fostering the workforce with work-life balance and education-life balance

“We really need people to come in and learn the trade, learn what we do, and continually provide some fresh water,” Cogswell says. She states that Penta will provide incentives to those younger people. “The course is free to the student and we're going to pay them an hourly rate to be in the school.” This will open possibilities for young people fresh out of high school who may not be able to afford traditional post-secondary education. Being able to support themselves while gaining an education and work experience will make the school’s offerings that much more attractive.

The students will start at the Penta student wage rate for their 12-week course. Once they are finished, they will progress through pay levels as they gain further experience.

Asked about how she got into the ag manufacturing sector; Cogswell says she moved out to Lambton County from the GTA eight years ago. “I had no clue what it meant to be in ag manufacturing. I was completely enthralled. It’s so crazy cool and wonderful and exciting.” Cogswell says she would enthusiastically recommend young people to consider agricultural manufacturing because the future is very bright. “We are super busy. We ship

our products not only in Canada, but to the United States and to Australia. If you want to have a work-life balance with a company where we truly focus on the fact that people make equipment, Penta is the place for you. Penta cares about their people.”

Advice for other companies contemplating similar ideas?

Recognizing that other companies may find themselves in a similar hiring crunch, Cogswell advises that if they’re thinking about a school or

other solutions, “go for it. We don’t know until we try. Let’s get them to work sooner as opposed to later. We’re all desperate for more team members. Jump in and try.”

At the time of writing, Penta Equipment is hoping to welcome its first welding school students in October.

AMC Cultivates

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2022 Talent & Technology Survey

Continued growth in Canada’s ag manufacturing sector

In the third quarter of 2022 AMC conducted a member survey to gain insight into current industry issues. Comparisons of 2021 Labour & Technology Survey findings and the 2022 Talent & Technology Survey show continued growth and strength of our industry as well as continuing and new challenges to the sector.

Primary

We Continue To Be An Export-focused Sector Companies have seen more than a 20% 81% Members who export to the U.S.

growth in the demand for products & services. 64% Members who export to other countries

If you were one of the nearly 60% of AMC members who completed the survey, you have already received the full results. For our new members, you will find a summary of the survey and comparison to last year’s survey below.  During the past year, members 72.5% said they increased investment in technology or equipment to increase efficiency and capacity in operations.

followed The ag manufacturing sector is predominantly made up of SMALL and MEDIUM SIZED BUSINESSES that employ Canadians in both rural and urban centres.

AMC members are HIGHLY INNOVATIVE & GROWING companies manufacturing everything from harvesting equipment to specialized parts for farm machinery using artificial intelligence, GPS technology and cloud solutions.

Adopting Technology

 60% of members provided training to employees to different skill sets and hired staff that required training to supplement workforce.

 39% said increased the use of digital technology or automation in operations.

Half said a SHORTAGE OF SKILLED LABOUR is a barrier to adopting new technology and automation

Availability of equipment is cited by over a third

Over a quarter said availability of new staff to support technologies

60% cited the cost to purchase and implement the

Workforce Overview

largest 20% Members export half of their inventory 20%

that say they expect to increase

Rural location, having to relocate

High competition for labour, tight labour market

Limited/Lack of skills, trade skills shortage, education system not training for jobs of tomorrow

Salary competition

Lack of available transitional housing

Retention of new/existing staff

Automation and robotics

Production & equipment expansion

Possible simulators

ERP System

B2B, B2C business platforms

Sustainability focus & project

Software integration

E-commerce & CRM platforms

Cyber security and increased automation

AI, data acquisition via

BRIGHTER THINKING

means at Claas: “Being brighter doesn’t stop with our products. It starts with our history of innovation and extends through our focus on engineering excellence, our On-Your-Farm-Parts and Service programs to maximize your uptime, our commitment to deliver a solid return on your investment, and to our pursuit of constant learning to expand on our expertise. At Claas, being brighter means delivering on our promise to consistently provide solutions that improve our customers’ businesses.”

By Dave Bannister

Claas of America is part of a global farm equipment manufacturing business that’s unusual among its competitors: it’s still privately/family owned, employing 11,500 people worldwide. Started in Harsewinkel, Germany in 1913 by August Claas, the Claas family still heads up the company. As well as Germany, they now have manufacturing facilities in the USA, France, India, Russia and Hungary.

Torey Hadland is the Claas Region Director for Canada, where the company has been operating since the 1960s. Based in Saskatoon, he is responsible for Sales, Service, Product and Parts departments. After completing his Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Torey worked for another farm

equipment manager before joining Claas as a Territory Manager, then Division Manager for Western Canada.

Torey sums up the advantages for Claas of being privately owned: “The owner is very in tune with the business, and not having to appease shareholders in the short-term means the company can plan for long-term sustainability.” He adds, “Our product line is very competitive, and we are always looking at how we can save producers time and money. We are usually on the cutting edge of technology to increase efficiencies for our owners.”

One example is the development of the Cemos automatic, which is used to automatically set and optimize the Lexion combine.

Torey explains what “brighter thinking”

The Claas product line includes combines, forage harvesters, tractors, mowers and mower conditioners, tedders, rakes, round balers, large square balers and precision farming. “Harvesting is our mainstay focus and, in many countries, we are the market leader in that area,” notes Torey. “Foragers and haytools dominate our sales in the USA, while in Canada, combines and tractors are the lead products.” Torey notes that the Lexion combine has had particular success in Canada: “It offers farmers the most efficient combine in the market in terms of fuel economy, grain savings and capacity.” Tractors were added to the product line in 2003 with the acquisition of the Renault line, and the company has been expanding their presence in this segment each year since.

Claas utilizes open architecture for their precision farming products, meaning they can use almost any GPS system available on the market.

Torey expects Claas will see increased market share in all categories they represent over the next 3 to 5 years, including expanded tractor, material handling and after sales portfolios.

In some ways, the COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to strengthen Claas’ Canadian operations. Torey explains: “We relied heavily on the USA product specialist to support our dealers and customers prior to COVID-19. With COVID-19, we realized we needed to evolve and be more independent in Canada. As a result, we created the Canadian region and completed our Parts, Service, Product, and Sales teams. And, as with most companies, we have become very good at remote meetings: Skype, Teams, Zoom, etc.”

Does Claas keep their customers happy?

The company has a 93% customer satisfaction rate. “I’m biased, but very rarely are customers dissatisfied with the product,” says Torey. “The only negative is that we do not have as many dealer locations as our competition. We combat this with telematics, remote service, and mobile mechanics.”

“Our dealers are very important. If they are not successful, Claas will not be successful,” notes Torey. The company also walks the talk: Claas ranked top two in the most recent dealer customer satisfaction survey.

The company has 19 full-time employees

in Canada. Although not currently hiring, Torey feels Claas is a great place to build a career: “I believe our approach to the marketplace as a family-owned company paves the way as a desired

responsibilities. The entire Claas family provides clear and concise vision, so everyone is working together to achieve the desired goals.”

Claas is a new member of AMC. Torey explains their reason for joining the association: “We want to get more involved in policy and regulation. Plus, we’re looking forward to networking with like-minded companies and individuals to learn best practices.”

Glad to have you aboard, Torey!

employer. Many on my team have been in the industry for a long time so we are well connected when we do have an open position.” He adds, “We have a very low turnover rate. This speaks volumes for the company. The compensation package

aligned with the job

“We have a very low turnover rate. This speaks volumes for the company. The compensation package is fair and aligned with the job responsibilities. The entire Claas family provides clear and concise vision, so everyone is working together to achieve the desired goals.”

Torey Hadland

Supporting people & having fun every day

Gene Fraser reflects on more than four decades in ag manufacturing

By Robert Zirk

When Gene Fraser reflects on his 41year career in agricultural manufacturing with MacDon Industries Ltd., one word summarizes it best: FUN.

“It was so much fun,” says Fraser. “I used the word fun in my career all the way along. [MacDon] was a fun environment to work in, to get an understanding and an education, and to learn and try to figure out ways to apply things.”

Fraser grew up on a family farm in Antigonish, Nova Scotia and cites his parents as his first influences on his work ethic and eventual career path.

“My dad, his innovative way of thinking, and his practical approach to things gave me a good start,” says Fraser. “My mom was very social and the consummate host, so it’s not hard to see that I ended up in the ag business in a marketing and sales role with some of her influences coming through.”

In 1981, after graduating from St. Francis Xavier University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Fraser moved out west in search of greater employment opportunities. He went on to join MacDon Industries Ltd. in Winnipeg starting on the production line, before moving into quality control and production control.

“I got a great overview and a great understanding of how manufacturing works, how we eventually get the product out the door and what the quality and reliability means in that product,” says Fraser. “Looking at more efficient ways to do things and learning from the people on the floor how they were seeing things unfold, how they could do their job better, and how they could do it more efficiently and safer was an eye opener for me.”

and Krone.) By 1985, Fraser would help drive MacDon’s expansion as the company began to move into a dealer-direct model.

Fraser credits several mentors from his time at MacDon for their guidance and support as he progressed through his career. One of those mentors was John Killbery, a longtime production planner working in engineering and product design dating back to when the company, then owned by his father and uncle, was known as Killbery Industries.

“John was such an innovative thinker,” says Fraser. “He would take a problem, solve it in four different ways, and come up with the best solution. But his patience with customers was one of the things that truly stood out for me. He would get a customer or a dealer on the phone who would be looking for something that might have been a product from 25 years ago, and he knew it.”

Fraser moved into a marketing role at MacDon in 1983, providing a platform to incorporate his education with his work and industry experience. At that time, MacDon was a small but growing OEM (original equipment manufacturer) company, building for other companies including Massey Ferguson, John Deere, Case, New Holland and International Harvester (and, today, also includes Claas

Fraser also highlights the MacDonald family – brothers Allan, Gary, Scott and John, and their father Joe – as mentors whose skills in different areas each gave him a greater understanding of relationship building and the ag manufacturing business. He worked closely with Gary, who had led MacDon’s sales and marketing and later assumed the role of Executive Vice President, describing him as a “first-class guy” who had “an absolute unique presence in the industry.”

“Looking at more efficient ways to do things and learning from the people on the floor how they were seeing things unfold, how they could do their job better, and how they could do it more efficiently and safer was an eye opener for me.”

“Gary was very inclusive to everybody,” says Fraser. “Whether you were a small dealer, big dealer, small customer or big customer, Gary talked to everyone like they mattered the most in the world. You were the number one focus of his attention when you walked in his office.”

Fraser learned many lessons from Gary MacDonald’s career evolution, forward-thinking approach, ability to cultivate a fun work environment and people-centred focus.

“Gary coined a phrase very early on that stood out in a lot of people’s minds: ‘Business isn’t about business, business is about people.’ He truly meant that in everything he would do. It’s the product, but most of all, it’s how you interact with the customer. Being empathetic, being honest, being true, doing the right thing by the dealer and the customer – these are the things he focused on.

“Those are the things I applied and learned from great people like Gary, the MacDonald family and others.”

Fraser himself became a mentor to many employees at MacDon during his career. Through his experience on both sides of mentorship, he cites engagement

and conversation as critical elements in cultivating the next generation of leaders in ag manufacturing.

MEMBER FEATURE

Fraser emphasizes the strong reputation Canadian ag manufacturers have built over the years: “I would hear that no matter where I would travel to.”

Looking back, he expresses gratitude for the many people who have made his 41-year career a fun, exciting and fulfilling experience.

“I was truly blessed to have worked with so many great people, dealers, customers, colleagues and industry people that became friends over the years.”

“It’s hearing about what their challenges are coming in as a new employee and what aspirations and goals they want to have,” says Fraser. “Experience teaches you a lot of things. [Mentorship is about] sitting down, engaging people, giving them a sense of what the future could hold in store, and talking to them about how to treat people and how to look at things differently.

“Everything is a learning experience. Even the failures are a learning experience to the successes you have.”

He offers the following words of encouragement to the current and next generation of agricultural manufacturers: “Look towards the future with excitement because farmers [and dealers] do every day. There are a lot of great people I’ve met through the AMC roles I’ve had, and these folks are salt of the earth people who innovate products and services on a regular basis.

“Do that, do it well, and do it with FUN.”

“Everything is a learning experience. Even the failures are a learning experience to the successes you have.”

OFFSPIN

Internal marketing strengths lead to new division

By Robert Zirk and Janet Morley

S3 Group has been designing and manufacturing equipment, products and custom components since 1966. S3 Brandworx was launched in the fall of 2021 to develop brands, marketing strategies and communications material that build energy, credibility and strength for their clients.

AMC recently spoke with Jessica Calkins, Marketing Manager and Dan Engel, Creative Director of S3 Brandworx about the new S3 division.

Engel has been in the industry for about 20 years and, for a good portion of that, worked with S3 Enterprises. Calkins has been with S3 for about four and a half years having been in the marketing department since she started. She remarked, “I'm thrilled to be part of a company that embraces creativity and growth. The launch of S3 Brandworx allows S3 to share our knowledge of the market and unique outside the box strategies for brand and product development to other companies and organizations.

When asked about how S3 Brandworx was established, Engel said, “Brandworx was a natural progression of a lot of the innate capabilities that S3 has encompassed over the years. I think S3 got better and better at understanding the marketplace, developing product, and coming up with really unique ways of taking those products to market.” That internal focus led to the idea

of opening that service and focusing on helping other companies enter the market or reinvigorate their positions within their established markets.

The scope of S3 Brandworx’s services runs the gamut from campaign strategy and planning to rollout and includes elements such as 3D renderings. “It begins with planning and often a lot of it in terms

a well-crafted brand has been a common theme over his years in the industry. “Regardless of the industry, clients that I've worked with have always been really excited at the process and whatever their particular challenge is, they're always really looking forward to that end result. But it's really common to have real, tangible results far exceed expectations with the performance of a really well-executed brand.” Calkins elaborated on what can seem an intense process, “Good marketing is the key to a company’s success. Having a powerful identity allows you to make a bold impression on your competitors and customers while strengthening your company’s identity in the marketplace.”

You will have noticed that Connection and Champion e-newsletters and communications with AMC staff have gained a new look and feel. S3 Brandworx was engaged to assist with a brand refresh resulting in re-designed and new logos.

of looking at what are the competitive challenges out there, what are the communication challenges for the product and what's the best way of approaching that. And so, we develop that strategy. We make sure that everybody's on board with that strategy. And then from there, the creative execution really begins,” said Engel.

The extent of branding and marketing can seem overwhelming and Engel states that under appreciation of the impact of

With the AMC website refreshed last fall with a new colour palette and some new brand elements, S3 Brandworx had their work cut out for them incorporating those new elements while maintaining the heritage and credibility of the existing AMC logo with the maple leaf and the cut-out corner emblem.

“Our strategy was to tie all of that together,” said Engel, “That whole process started out with the AMC team providing clear intel on who the audience was for these three new marks, and what the communication and brand positioning challenges were. The audience was identified as the manufacturing industry, the workforce we want to draw in creating interest in

“Brandworx was a natural progression of a lot of the innate capabilities that S3 has encompassed over the years.”

S3 Brandworx launched to offer proven marketing and branding skills to other manufacturers

career opportunities within that industry. Communicating AMC’s experience and credibility was important with AMC and the manufacturing industries partnering with governments and academia, and tying all of that together. We wanted to create trademarks that were that were bold, solid, that reflected that aspect of manufacturing and the feel of the engineering that goes into that industry.”

S3 Brandworx has their sights set on making new inroads in a variety of industries while continuing to develop and build their team. They are in it for the long haul and hope to provide support services to clients long term. “Once we get in and we're able to actually help a client out we find that there's a lot of power in the longevity of those relationships as well.” Engel adds that continuing to build momentum while building their client base and expanding their areas of opportunities and influence in various industries is what will help to drive the business forward.

About the prospect of doing business with AMC member companies, Engel said, “I’m always interested in opportunities to assist, field some questions and have those initial discussions. Unique approaches to gaining market share, specific communication challenges, content development for SEO

purposes, or trying to bring clarity to some of those tricky or hard to articulate product benefits…we’re always open to having those fact-finding conversations to uncover those opportunities.”

When asked about the benefits of being an AMC member, Engel said, “Recently in April, being at our AMC event (S3’s eh?-MC After Dark) in Guelph, just from my perspective –seeing the camaraderie and working with AMC through the branding process was riveting. It’s really great to see an industry like manufacturing coming together under that one umbrella.”

“Being a member of AMC allows our company to connect and continue to build relationships both personally and professionally with other members at events such as eh?MC After Dark. AMC also provides our industry a voice allowing Canadian manufacturers to continue to thrive.

To learn more about S3 Brandworx, visit s3brandworx.com.

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National Catalyst for Thought Leadership

Dan Engel, Creative Director

Jessica Calkins, Marketing Manager

Addressing Labour Shortages with Foreign Recruits

By Scott Bell and R. Reis Pagtakhan

One of the bigger issues facing agricultural manufacturers is the limited labour pool in Canada. According to Statistics Canada, 47.4% of employers in the manufacturing sector find recruiting skilled employees a challenge . It is no surprise, then, that many agricultural manufacturers are looking for workers from outside of Canada.

What Type of Workers Are You Looking to Hire?

Generally speaking, the strategy you use for bringing workers into Canada will depend on the roles you are hiring for and the countries the workers are coming from. Engineers, engineering techs, IT workers, mechanics and other professionals and credentialed tradespeople are considered skilled

workers and may have a quicker route to working in Canada. Assembly line workers and uncredentialed tradespeople are more likely to be considered low-skilled positions and will generally take longer to obtain working status.

Supporting a Work Permit for Canada

Most foreign nationals need a work permit to work in Canada. The majority of work permits, particularly for low-skilled workers, are supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA) under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). This can be a long process that requires specific domestic recruitment efforts and advertising to demonstrate that you cannot find a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to fill a role. With advertising and application processing timelines, securing an LMIA can take three to four months and delay hiring efforts.

In some instances, work permits can be supported without the need for domestic recruitment efforts. Under the International Mobility Program (IMP), an employer can skip the LMIA and

apply directly for a work permit. These options are only available where Free Trade Agreements or special programs allow a foreign national quicker access to Canadian employment. Under the Global Talent Stream and other select LMIA-based work permits, advertising requirements are waived or varied. These options are almost exclusively focused on high-skilled positions, so not all manufacturing positions will qualify.

Regardless of the immigration pathway, a work permit still must be processed. This can take an extended period, as outlined below.

Issues to Be Aware Of

• Expect the immigration process to be lengthy. The LMIA process can be three to four months, and the online work permit application process could take months. A work permit for a candidate in India could take up to 42 weeks to process online. Employers may want to focus on recruits from countries with shorter processing windows. Further, employers can focus on candidates from countries that do not require online processing of their work permits once proper supports are in place, such as an LMIA. As an example, citizens of Mexico can travel to Canada and receive their work permits at the port of entry, eliminating

online processing times. Knowing which countries can process faster is key to accelerated staffing.

• Exercise caution when entering into agreements with third-party recruitment firms. These firms can be a good source of workers but can also lead to immigration compliance issues later on. Employers should have recruitment agreements reviewed and ensure they are fully aware of the work a third-party is doing on their behalf. Employers should also be aware of what work the third-party may be doing for the foreign workers.

• Many foreign workers who are already in Canada have labour mobility issues due to closed employer-specific work permits. These permits only allow them to work for one employer, normally in one location and in a specific occupation. As of September, an application to renew or change work permit conditions from inside Canada was estimated to take 165 days. Some of these workers may be able to obtain an interim working authorization, allowing them to change employment much earlier than normal processing will allow . This is under a temporary COVID-19 policy that is set to expire in 2023.

• In Western Canada, employers can also consider programs such as the B.C. Provincial Nominee Program, the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program, the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program and the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program. While each provincial program is different – and some programs are friendlier to employers hiring foreign nationals than others – each can be used for positions in the manufacturing sector.

Hiring foreign workers can be a complicated process with the potential for significant delays and compliance issues. A skilled legal team can help make the process easier. If you are looking to hire workers from outside of Canada, the MLT Aikins Immigration team would be pleased to assist you.

AMC Cultivates

AMC Advocates

1 https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/subjects-start/labour_/labour-shortage-trends-canada

2 https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/service-delivery/coronavirus/temporary-residence/work-permit/changing-employment.html

Scott Bell

R. Reis Pagtakhan

PROFILE

KEVIN SKAUGE

Executive Director Skills Canada Saskatchewan

Cultivating Our Future Workforce

By Dave Bannister

Drive down just about any road or street these days and you’ll likely see more than one Help Wanted sign. They’re signs of the times, and the agricultural equipment manufacturing industry is no exception. The challenge for our industry is more complex than just available labour though; we need skilled trades.

AMC has long recognized the need for partnering with our schools to help develop the talent our members look for. It’s no secret that trades curriculum has been under-represented in the education system for decades now, creating a need for industry involvement and apprenticeships.

One of AMC’s key partners in this endeavor is Skills Canada, an organization that works with students interested in pursuing a technical career.

Kevin Skauge is the new Executive Director of Skills Canada Saskatchewan, based in Saskatoon. He has a background in the building construction industry for thirty years, and was Trade Commissioner for Canada in Sydney, Australia for 6 of those years. In that role, he often hosted AMC members looking to build sales there.

Kevin sees the relationship between Skills Canada and AMC as a “match made in heaven”.

He explains: “Lots of these students are kids from several generations of farm families. Some of their grandfathers might be running AMC member companies, and they’ve been brought up among innovative thinkers all their lives.”

Kevin understands these relationships. His great grandfather was a blacksmith from Robsart Saskatchewan, and he was raised in Medicine Hat. He finds his role with Skills Canada rewarding.

education. “That’s where Skills Canada comes in. We are welcomed into schools to help build trade skills where private companies might not be invited, or may not have the resources to contribute. We become a link between education and industries desperate for talent, and we connect potential employers to students early in their training. As soon as they’re eligible for the workforce, they may already have employers waiting.”

Skilled trades competitions are a key part of Skills Canada programs. “We offer regional, provincial, national and even international opportunities for students to compete in trades like welding, machining, plumbing and pipe fitting, robotics, mining, construction, bricklaying, web and graphic design, hairdressing and many other skills,” Kevin explains. “It’s like a skills olympics!”

Competing at these levels build skills that are not only practical for potential employers, according to Kevin. “They come away learning how to problem solve, and how to apply creativity to building and improving the things they’re working on.”

“Many of these students are highly motivated to take up a trade, yet find the subjects available are geared more toward office or ‘white collar’ careers,” explains Kevin. Canada lags behind many countries in funding for trades

Kevin is particularly proud of the Saskatchewan students who have qualified for, and won medals at competitions beyond the province’s borders. In the most recent Canadian

“We become a link between education and industries desperate for talent, and we connect potential employers to students early in their training. As soon as they’re eligible for the workforce, they may already have employers waiting.”

national competition, among 12 Saskatchewan entrants, 8 won medals. “A young welder who brings home a medal from a national competition comes back a changed individual,” he observes. “The sense of pride they gain turns them into life-long ambassadors for Skills Canada!” Kevin is also proud of the fact that these competitions include women, indigenous and minority entrants and competitors with disabilities.

“The next national competition will be held in Winnipeg, May 23 to 27, 2023,” notes Kevin. “I would encourage any AMC member to attend and check out the calibre of potential employees there.”

Kevin notes that another advantage for AMC members is that there is an ED like himself in each province. They often work cooperatively to develop programs that can deliver benefits across borders or even nationally.

COVID-19 presented Skills Canada with some unique challenges that they also met in creative ways. With classrooms blacked out, they created a series of kits that teachers could order to help demonstrate trade skills remotely. These

CAREERS IN AG PROFILE

included a demonstration of how to read plans and construct a home model, and another on how to build a robotics unit. Kevin is hoping a skills kit can be developed in conjunction with AMC members. “Someone out there has the idea. We just need to have a concept, and come up with the kit and some funding that will help build the skills needed.”

to kids about the opportunities their industry has to offer.”

“When it comes to the need to step up and help build the trade talents needed for their workforce tomorrow, AMC members get it,” concludes Kevin. “It’s just a matter of finding how to connect companies to the classroom, and the competitions.”

There are other ways AMC members can get involved too, according to Kevin. “Companies can sponsor an award, facilitate ‘Try a Trade Days’, or just talk

Sask atche wan. R eal Oppor tunities.

With its strong supplier base, skilled workforce and low cost of doing business, Saskatchewan is a driving force in the Agtech industry. Learn more at thinksask.ca.

thinksask.ca

“Someone out there has the idea. We just need to have a concept, and come up with the kit and some funding that will help build the skills needed.”

AMC Advocates

Hands-on learning at Skills Canada

Saskatchewan’s Skills Camp 2022 in Regina

CULTIVATING MENTAL HEALTH

By Dave Bannister

The statistics are alarming. According to the 2018 and 2021 University of Guelph study by Dr. Andrea Jones Bitton and Dr. Breanna Hagard, one quarter of all farmers have felt that their lives were not worth living, wished they were dead, or thought of taking their own life in the past 12 months, a rate 20-30% higher than any other occupation in Canada. 35% meet the classification for depression, 58% meet the classification for anxiety and 45% report high stress levels.

Other mental health challenges that can affect the farm population involve burnout, addiction and alcoholism as well as mental health disorders including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Megz Reynolds is Executive Director at The Do More Agriculture Foundation, the national voice and champion for mental health in Canadian agriculture. Her role is to bring awareness to mental health in the farm community across Canada and to work as a connector in the mental health in agriculture space between other organizations, producers, mental health professionals and government at a provincial and federal level.

While Megz has only been in her role since February of 2022, she has handson experience as a former grain farmer

and lived experience with mental health challenges on the farm. On the heels of losing almost an entire year's crop to a 10-minute hail storm, Megz testified to the Agriculture Agri-Foods Standing Committee that it felt like her only worth was in her life insurance policy and that she was digging her own grave trying to follow her farming dreams.

and it's easy to see how stressful and challenging farming can be.”

“Farmers are a stoic bunch,” says Megz. “They tend to internalize stress, not wanting to admit there’s a problem they can’t seem to handle on their own, there is still a very strong ‘cowboy up’ mentality. The internal and external stigma that keeps producers from talking about their challenges or reaching out for help only makes matters worse. When you are living with chronic stress, it can be very easy to move from a place of seemingly 'coping’ to suddenly needing immediate professional help and support. Long hours alone in the field only compound the problem: There’s too much time to dwell on what's going on and run the numbers during a tough year.”

“Weather is one of the most important factors for success on the farm, and yet it cannot be controlled and causes farmers so much stress and uncertainty. This spring, many areas were extremely dry coming out of last year's drought, while other areas had full fields under feet of standing water at seeding time,” notes Megz. “Add in the war in Ukraine, prices for fuel and fertilizer sky rocketing,

Megz recently attended Canada’s Farm Show in Regina on behalf of Do More Ag, and found that about 80% of her conversations at the show centered around someone sharing their loss of a family member, friend or community member to death by suicide. “I am thankful that we are finally talking about mental health in agriculture and sharing our stories. The conversations I had in Regina only highlight how much work we all have to do to change the culture in agriculture to one where all are supported and empowered to take care of their own mental health and wellbeing,” says Megz.

A unique Do More Ag initiative has been the creation of a QR code mental health support sticker in English and French that can be placed inside the cab of equipment, on a toolbox or any other item. “Scanning the sticker with a cell phone immediately allows the user to connect to the crisis line specific to their province or territory using their location. Alternatively, the user can access a full resource page,” explains Megz. She adds, “We are very thankful to our industry partners that have already printed stickers to distribute throughout their networks like Corteva and FCC.”

One issue in effectively providing mental health support for those working in agriculture is that many mental health professionals are now a minimum of three generations removed from a family farm. When you do not have a background in the industry, it’s very hard to understand farming and the unique stressors and challenges faced by those working in agriculture. Do More Ag identified that, without an agricultural background, it can be very easy to alienate a producer seeking help. AgCulture was developed by Do More Ag with mental health professionals and farmers to address this challenge. AgCulture is a 4-hour mental health in agriculture literacy program for mental health professionals. Armed with knowledge on agriculture and farming, a mental health professional is better able to relate to a farmer or someone in the industry, allowing a therapeutic relationship to be formed and maintained.

Another initiative that Do More Ag runs with the support of FCC is their Community Fund. The fund was created to bring mental health resources and education into rural communities across Canada and is going into its 5th year. So far, the Community Fund has delivered mental health workshops like ‘Mental Health First Aid’ and Do More Ag’s

own ‘Talk Ask Listen’ to 1,714 individuals across Canada.

A continued priority for Megz and Do More Ag is connecting with federal, provincial and local governments on mental health in agriculture as well as connecting government to producers and those in agriculture whose stories and experience can assist in developing understanding and working knowledge of the industry. They’re constantly working to make mental health in agriculture front of mind during policy creation to assist in comprehensive, national agricultural-focused mental health resources and programming. Clearly, mental health in agriculture is a challenge that’s not only costly for the personal well-being of Canada’s farmers; it can affect the entire industry, including agricultural equipment manufacturers, notes Megz. “If our farmers are struggling, it’s very challenging for the agricultural industry as a whole to remain healthy.” She encourages AMC members to consider including mental health awareness and education in communications with staff and customers, and to support mental health in agriculture by becoming a partner of The Do More Agriculture Foundation. For more information on partnership opportunities or to donate, please visit domore.ag.

I asked Megz where she sees The Do More Agriculture Foundation five years from now. “In a perfect world, we will not be needed anymore. We (the collective we) will have been successful in changing the culture in agriculture so that all are supported to take care of their mental health and mental wellbeing and so that we are no longer losing community members to death by suicide.” She acknowledges that we have moved the needle when it comes to mental health in agriculture but that there is still so much work to be done.

AMC Cultivates

Drive Opportunities for Growth

AMC Advocates

One United Voice for Our Industry

Megz Reynolds describes herself as adventure seeker and moment maker, mom to amazing girls and a wearer of many hats. She is an advocate for mental health, science-based policy and agriculture, a connector of industry and government.

www.degelman.com • 800.667.3545

The Do More Agriculture Foundation QR code mental health support sticker

is thrilled to be the Presenting Sponsor of

AMC’s 50th Annual Convention and Trade Show. See you in Banff on December 6-7, 2022!

We are proud to be a supporter of AMC and Canadian agriculture equipment manufacturers!

VODKOW: TURNING WASTE INTO 'WINE'

Distillery embraces Canadian ag, innovation and sustainability

carbon neutral, food grade alcohol, to the Ottawa hospital and the City of Ottawa. The sanitizer products are still a part of the company’s product lineup.

Hitting their stride

Despite having to adjust their product line and indeed their goals in those early years to stay afloat, the distillery is now growing and starting to thrive with a full time equivalent of 20 employees. Dairy Distillery has sold half a million bottles of its Vodkow branded vodka and cream liqueurs and is developing more innovative products like their Vodkow Orange Cream Liquor which derives its flavour from the peels of unsold grocery store oranges. In addition to beverages and sanitizer, McCarten says, “We will also continue to explore ethanol fuels solutions and how milk can be a part of these solutions.”

By Janet Morley

At the end of a long day when you want to put your feet up and enjoy an adult beverage, you might reach for your usual, or you might crave something new. The offerings from Dairy Distillery in Almonte, Ontario, may be just the thing to quench your thirst for a change with a product that echoes agricultural manufacturers’ key tenets of innovation, adaptability, sustainability and “Made in Canada.”

Waste into wine?

Omid McDonald and Neal McCarten, co-founders of Dairy Distillery, knew they wanted to open a distillery but had not yet found the element that would make their distillery unique. They found their “why” through a history course and a chat with McCarten’s uncle Jim Nelson, a lifelong dairy farmer. McCarten and Nelson discussed the issues around post-production skim milk being dumped and the sugars in the waste product being lost. From his Asian history class, McCarten knew that the Mongols drank beer made from milk. Putting these two facts together, the reason for opening a distillery in Ontario was born and the co-founders set about turning waste into “wine.”

McDonald got in touch with Lactalis Canada in Winchester, Ontario, just an hour away from the distillery in Almonte. As it turned out, the milk processor was happy to find a market for their milk permeate – the waste from filtering milk

to produce protein-rich milk used for making yogurt and cheese. A mixture of sugar, water and minerals, the milk permeate works for Dairy Distillery like a molasse for a rum distillery. There are distilleries that use whey permeate to manufacture vodka, but McCarten says, “The milk permeate is cleaner and simpler than whey permeate. It allows for a faster fermentation and smoother finished product.”

Persevering through the pandemic

The distillery plan came into being in 2015, construction began in late 2017 and the distillery doors opened in November 2018. With just a year under the young company’s belt, the pandemic hit. While COVID-19 hit many sectors hard, it created an additional challenge for companies trying to build a new product that required face to face meetings and tastings to convince their intended clientele to purchase. McCarten said, “When you’re making milk vodka, it’s nice to be able to give people a sample. There is a bit of a barrier when introducing people to something new, so when COVID-19 hit and events and bars shut down, we had a hard task ahead of us.”

With normal in-person marketing opportunities at a standstill, the company assessed the situation and the distillery’s capabilities and decided to pivot to manufacturing sanitizer to tide the young brand over through the pandemic. Dairy Distillery provided Health Canada approved hand sanitizer, made using

It certainly seems that there is no danger of Dairy Distillery becoming stagnated, but McCarten says he always has the practical side in mind too. “Ideas are plentiful, though building something new takes a lot of hard work and risk. The payoff is in the excitement we get from introducing something new to people’s imaginations, and the thought that we get to change the world a little bit, one drink at a time.”

Ag-focused and seriously Canadian

Dairy Distillery takes Canadian made seriously. It was a conscious decision to make their cream liqueurs from scratch instead of using ready-made American products like many distillers of all sizes do. The Canadian cream used by Dairy Distillers is lactose-free which is a first for any North American cream liqueur.

On whether Dairy Distillery should be considered be part of the Canadian agricultural sector in Canada, McCarten said, “Certainly! We started our distillery to celebrate the innovation that drives Canadian agriculture and to showcase how we can continue to move forward towards a sustainable economy.” That sentiment is certainly worthy of a toast with a glass of Vodkow.

Learn more about Vodkow products by visiting dairydistillery.com

Convention Speakers

THRIVE 50TH ANNUAL CONVENTION & TRADE SHOW

Keynote Speaker Leading Through the Storms

Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe Scholar & Speaker

Supply Chain ThreatsHow To Minimize Transportation Disruptions Now and in the Future

Chad Learmond Vice President, Sales, Wildwood Transport Inc.

Vuforia Augmented Reality: The Rise of the Digital Mentor

Bill Durand CPA, CA, CISA, CISM CEO, NeuroStrategy & PTC

Strong teams equal strong results – building and maintaining trust in your business

James Blase Decision Works Consulting

Tapping into Today's Talent

Panelists

In this session designed specifically for leaders, Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe explores what staff and teams need in order to get through uncertain and difficult times. Drawing on her resiliency framework, she explores how to promote and foster resilient practices within your staff and organization and cultivate a workplace culture of community, connection, and engagement that promotes productivity and purposefulness. Hanley-Dafoe will present current research on stress and performance and explain how leaders can mediate distress.

Cultivating the New Normal Pat Hirst Manager of Training and Development, MacDon Industries

Inflation and Agriculture: Local and Global Perspectives

J.P. Gervais Vice-President and Chief Agricultural Economist, FCC

The Future of Agricultural Machinery Standards in Canada

Scott Cedarquist ASABE Standards & Technical Director

Joan Harris-Warren Executive Director, First Peoples Development Inc.

Kevin Skauge Executive Director, Skills Canada Saskatchewan

Tara Shirtliffe Manager, CLS Consulting Ltd.

Three Tee-rrific Golf Tournaments in Three

Provinces: AMC golf tournaments recap

After the success of our 2021 golf tournaments, AMC was excited to bring members and their guests together again for fun days of golf, networking, socializing and great food – this time, in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario! Take a look at the highlights from all three Texas Scramble style tournaments.

Thank you to all of our wonderful sponsors and participants who made the tournaments a great success!

Watch your inbox for AMC Connection updates about registering for a 2023 AMC Golf Tournament in your province. We hope to welcome even more golfers next year’s series of golf days.

AMC Collaborates

Manitoba

On Monday, August 15th, 2022, AMC members and guests gathered at Kingswood Golf & Country Club in La Salle, just outside of Winnipeg. The weather in La Salle may have been a little on the cool side but it was a fair day for the fairways.

Thank you to all our Manitoba tournament sponsors!

Meal Sponsor: Thunderstruck Sales & Marketing

Cart Sponsor: Cloverdale Paint Hole Sponsors: Axalta Coating Systems, AIC Supply Inc., Hi-Tech Seals, Walinga Inc., Walterscheid Powertrain Group, and Wildwood Transport

Prize Sponsors: Apollo Machine & Welding/Apollo-Clad Laser Cladding, Hi-Tech Seals, Highline Manufacturing, HSBC Canada, and Walinga Inc.

Saskatchewan

The first of three in the series, the Saskatchewan AMC Golf Tournament was held at Holiday Park Golf Course in Saskatoon on Monday, July 18th, 2022. The warm sunny day was reflected in the high spirits of AMC golfers.

Thank you to all our Saskatchewan tournament sponsors!

Lunch Sponsor: Thunderstruck Sales & Marketing Cart Sponsor: Cloverdale Paint Hole Sponsors: Thermex Metal Treating, Aon, and Axalta Coating Systems

National Catalyst for Thought Leadership

Gathering at the Clubhouse in Saskatchewan for a great day of golf.

AMC Board Chair Cor Lodder with 1st place team - Jeremy Matuszewski (Thunderstruck Ag Equipment), Elizabeth Hernandez (Thunderstruck Sales and Marketing), Scott Pratt (Go Technologies Ltd.) Absent — Alex Miller.

ThunderGolf winners Cor Lodder (Walinga Inc.), Henk Vogelaar (Alberta Industrial Heat Treating), Hiten Shah (Western Producer), Greg Cruson (Dutch Industries).

1st place MacDon Industries — Chuck Pelton, India Young, Kiera Young with AMC President Donna Boyd absent Tim Miller.

ThunderGolf Winners Hi-Tech Seals — Patrick Crooks, Jackie Campbell, Tony Boken, absent Brandon Craig.

Getting ready to tee off in Manitoba.

GOLF TOURNAMENT RECAPS

OntarioOn Monday, September 12, 2022, the AMC Ontario Golf Tournament, the final of the 2022 series, was held at Craigowan Golf Club in Woodstock.

While the unpredictable temps known to occur surrounding Canada's Outdoor Farm Show, baking one day and freezing the next, and the roll of the weather dice fell short of perfect, the spirits of AMC golfers were not FORE-stalled like the meteorological system above the course. Thank you to all our Ontario tournament sponsors!

Dinner Sponsor: Thunderstruck Sales & Marketing Cart Sponsor: Cloverdale Paint Hole Sponsors: Axalta Coating Systems, Eldale Machine, HLA, Libro Credit Union, Rosta, Supreme International, Tubeline and Tristar Coatings

AMC Collaborates - even on the golf course! Glenn Buurma (Penta Equipment) assisted Paul Horst (Tubeline Manufacturing) with his putt.

Diemo team thanks our valued customers for their business in 2022! We are passionate about partnering with our customers to support their production targets. Diemo is a group of people skilled in custom fabrication and precision machining.

info@diemomachine.com www.diemomachine.com 204-364-2404

The

ThunderGolf Winners: Jamie Pickering (RJ Equipment), Cor Lodder (Walinga), Bill Burnett (RWF Bron) and Jeff Obbema (Tristar Coatings).

AMC Director Glenn Buurma (Penta Equipment, centre) with 1st Place Penta Equipment team (left to right) Casey Herbert, Dave Vanos (Libro Credit Union), Trevor Newman and Bob Dufour.

SPOTLIGHT

Are you changing the way business is done in your company or industry?

Thriving in the competitive world of manufacturing and supporting manufacturing requires companies to review and reassess their practices and policies regularly. Improvements are made by reacting with forward thinking no matter the age of the company. In this edition of the Re!magination Spotlight, we bring you three companies, as new as nine years in business and as stayed as 130 year in business, each re-inventing a product or policy to keep their business thriving.

the need to turn grain allowing for complete drying in one bin.

Grain drying becomes even more efficient when the ThunderDryer is used in combination with The Air Missile.

Re!magining Grain Drying

To combat the moisture cap of cool air that can occur at the top of the bin with traditional bottom bin dryers, Thunderstruck Ag Equipment partnered with GO Technologies Ltd. to make drying grains in traditional cylindrical bins faster, easier and more economical with the ThunderDryer and Air Missile.

The ThunderDryer is a portable system which can be moved bin to bin instead of moving grain to a dedicated drying bin. The system runs on either natural gas or propane and can offer from 175,000 to 260,000 BTUs depending on size of dryer required. Combustion gases and exhaust which can contribute to moisture in the bin are set aside and heat source contact with grain is eliminated to ensure maximum efficiency that also results in high-quality of the product being stored.

An 8” diameter vertical tube, the Air Missile directs air to the upper portion of the grain bin redirecting air flow to push moisture up and out. This redirection of the warm moist air that normally gets trapped at the top of the bin eliminates

The Air Missile solves the problem of a moisture cap forming at the top of the bin while the ThunderDryer initially reduces the amount of moisture in the bin by keeping gases and exhaust out.

The combined system can reduce costs to dry by 60%, reduce BTUs required by 70% per lbs. water removed, and reduce energy usage by 17% compared to a conventional air distribution system.

Grain is evenly dried in the bin top to bottom, maintaining grain quality and increasing storage life without having to turn the grain at all. The ThunderDryer and Air Missile are a match made in harvest heaven.

increasing harvest productivity, they introduced the Grain Giant to North America in 2020.

The Grain Giant is a high-capacity portable field bin and is the product of a vision to increase efficiency at harvest time. Having the 6500 bushel bin set in the harvest field allows high-volume farms and smaller operations to run at maximum efficiency while increasing safety.

Although it looks like a cart, once towed into position by a tractor, The 60’ Grain Giant is lowered to the ground using the tractor’s hydraulics and readied to be used for temporary storage or “surge capacity.” Being stationary while in use affords higher safety for cart operators and truckers who no longer have to deal with moving targets.

Re!magining Productivity

Vale Industries, located in Indian Head, Saskatchewan, has a track record of more than 30 years of developing and manufacturing quality steel products for several industries. With an eye to

The ingenious design and enormous capacity of the Grain Giant allow for unexpected events like truck breakdown or delay, allowing combines to continue harvesting at full capacity. On smaller operations, the Grain Giant can halve the number of truckers required by allowing grain to be stored between trips.

Safety factors into the design with wireless remote control enabling truckers to load from their truck cabs. Sight windows allow viewing of grain level from tractor cab or ground level. Full-length unobstructed walkways within the Grain Giant ensure operator safety and ease of cleanout. Additional features include

camera, light kit and optional hydraulic brakes.

With its storage capacity and safety features coupled with an unload rate of up to 550 bushels per minute, Vale brings producers a more efficient harvest with the Grain Giant.

invested in collaborative robotic (cobot) brazing and welding units.

These units have brought several benefits to the company. Increased efficiency during production which allows Atom-Jet to hit tighter and tighter scheduling constraints. Cobot units operate to a higher standard of quality and repeatability, ensuring that every part coming off the production line meets the highest standard. The safety of the units allows operators to work in conjunction with them.

Re!magining Technology & Workforce

Atom-Jet provides products and services to the agricultural market worldwide. Based in Brandon, Manitoba, Atom-jet Industries is comprised of agriculture, custom brazing and machining & advanced manufacturing divisions. The agriculture division manufactures openers, disk scrapers, fertilizer knives, hydraulic systems and specialty items such as a carbide power hiller, tines and parts and accessories.

Atom-Jet has recently celebrated its 60th year in business. To achieve that, a business must evolve and embrace change. To meet the ever-changing needs of their customers, Atom-Jet felt it was imperative to adopt a technologybased approach to production and has

Investing in cobots has allowed Atom-Jet to be less reliant on skilled trades at a time where labour is hard to come by. Adoption of a technological approach to production shows that the company is committed to ongoing innovation and improving the knowledge base of our staff. These units open further career paths for employees with jobs that would have previously been extremely repetitive manual tasks.

Showcase your Re!magination...

The AMC Re!magination Spotlight is an opportunity for AMC members to showcase how they are reimagining business!

To qualify, your company should be reimagining business in one of the following categories:

Business Models: Examples could include shifting gears to adapt to changing business supply demands, expansions, or new acquisition strategies.

Workforce: Examples could include a virtual workforce, an outsourced workforce, or an automated workforce.

Products: Examples could include new product development, innovation, and new-to-market ideas.

Services: Examples could include adapting offerings to a changing environment or reinventing your delivery of services to meet customer needs.

Technology: Examples could include the development of new software, new technological equipment, or automation.

Distribution: Examples could include new sales tactics, new supplier channels, or new network opportunities.

Other: Examples could include reimaginations that do not fit into one of the above categories.

Submissions are easy

Just send us a 150-word summary telling us a little bit about your re!magination, the category it qualifies for, and the impact it has on your business or the industry. Submissions are free and you can submit more than once. Submit your entry

This is a recurring section in Implement Success, so submit now to have your company featured in an upcoming edition!

Submissions can be sent to jmorley@31stline.com, with the subject line AMC Re!magination Spotlight Submission.

New Member SPOTLIGHT

Please join us in welcoming our newest members!

The Duck Foot™ started as an idea in 2015 to increase harvest efficiency. The first prototype was made in early 2016 and fieldtesting began. In June 2018 the Duck Foot™ officially launched at the Innovations Pavilion of Canada’s Farm Progress Show where it was awarded a Sterling Innovation Award.

The Duck Foot™ is a series of paddle tines that solve the problem of combine header loss. The Made in Canada product quickly slides over the existing tines on a header and securely attaches to the reel pipe with a patented clip system. Since the initial launch of the Duck Foot™, Duck Foot Parts Inc. has continued to advance and expand the product line and now has 4 models to suit 9 header brands.

www.duckfootparts.ca

social and climate challenges faced by the agriculture industry today, our technology is helping agricultural manufacturers accelerate innovation, optimizing equipment design and manufacturing to maximize productivity from the production line to the farm.

To deliver a new generation of agricultural equipment, the industry is embracing digitalization through the design and production of equipment to service operations. Hexagon’s digital first design and engineering approaches allow simulation of complex mechanical and hydraulic assemblies, as well as production process validation. When combined with sensor data from the operating environment, simulation can also help optimize and autonomise operating strategies in the field.

Learn more about Hexagon (Nasdaq Stockholm: HEXA B) at hexagon.com and follow us @HexagonAB. www.hexagonmi.com

Hexagon is a global leader in digital reality solutions, combining sensor, software and autonomous technologies. We are putting data to work to boost efficiency, productivity, quality and safety across industrial, manufacturing, infrastructure, public sector, and mobility applications. Our technologies are shaping production and people-related ecosystems to become increasingly connected and autonomous – ensuring a scalable, sustainable future.

Agricultural machinery and equipment is becoming ever more sophisticated, incorporating new technologies and increasingly integrating with operating environments to improve productivity. Modern agricultural machinery uses advanced electronics, software-driven features and extensive sensor integrations to maximize efficiency for more sustainable outcomes.

Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division provides solutions that use data from design and engineering, production and metrology to make manufacturing smarter. As farmers seek innovative solutions to the economic,

Henderson Insurance’s journey to become one of Saskatchewan’s premier insurance

brokerages began in 1965 and today, we are proud to be a second-generation business with offices in Regina, Saskatoon and Moose Jaw. In 2018 we became Navacord’s first Saskatchewan based brokerage. We live in a complex world and this partnership allows us to provide more options for our clients who require trusted advice and tailored solutions.

We think differently about risk and understand there is far more to this than just the traditional hazard risk. The “we’ve always done it that way” thinking when it comes to insurance puts business owners at a disadvantage and gives full control over to the insurer. Forward thinking businesses who recognize the importance of having a Risk Advisor vs a supplier of an insurance policy will have the advantage, more control and ultimately more options for their company. Our branded IAP Approach™ provides a deep

understanding of a business and the risk it is facing. Working with the business, we build a customized Risk Plan that expands on the scope of the insurance policy alone.

Today our focused areas of specialization are in the following industry sectors: Manufacturing, Agriculture, Transportation, Construction, Surety Bonding and Dealerships. Henderson Insurance’s goal is to make companies better, families’ futures safer, and business owners’ lives simpler.

www.hendersoninsurance.ca

H&S Manufacturing Co. Inc. was founded by Mr. Lauri Heikenen and two partners in 1967. Over its history, H&S has experienced steady expansion of facilities, products, and markets. The original 5,000 square foot manufacturing plant has grown to 220,000 square feet in Marshfield and Clintonville, WI, and Ripley, NY. The dairy farm industry has always been H&S’s most important market. Today H&S offers forage boxes up to 40′ in length. Manure spreaders and hay rakes are other major products H&S supplies to the dairy and beef industries. H&S manure spreaders and hay rakes are the dominant players in these markets as well. H&S has become not only the largest player in these markets, but also the design leader, with 6 patents granted by the U.S. government for new designs of bi-fold and high-capacity rakes. For the future, H&S is leading the pack in two developing agricultural technologies, wrapping high-moisture baleage, and crop merging in front of high-capacity, selfpropelled choppers.

www.hsmfgco.com

Hunterwood is an experienced and complete industrial fabrication & agricultural equipment manufacturer based in Cochrane, Alberta. We are proud to have industrial equipment installed all over the world.

www.hunterwood.com

A digital platform with everything you need for B2B e-commerce

Parttrap® ONE is a complete B2B eCommerce platform that enables successful digital sales processes for Manufacturing & Distribution companies.

The platform is pre-integrated with a number of ERP-systems, which means that you can create B2B eCommerce websites where you use the data that already exists in your ERP. The platform also gives you the opportunity to add additional information linked to the products such as: product descriptions, technical specifications, images, documents and relations between products.

Parttrap® ONE is pre-integrated with: Acumatica, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft Dynamics 365 BC, Microsoft Dynamics Supply Chain Management (R&D), Epicor E9, Epicor E10, Epicor iScala and Monitor. www.parttrap.com

We have created a product in which we control the human input controls of a machine via electronic actuators remotely.

NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Never before has a system changed the operator location to wireless with 5 minutes, with NO MODIFICATIONS to OEM. 2 patents have been applied for concept and autonomous farming. We produce the product with a HP 4200 MJF 3D printer which is done on our farm. The entirety of the product is done in house, design to assembly. www.rcfarmarm.ca

Skills Canada Saskatchewan promotes the skilled trade and technology occupations through hands-on interactive activities, education, skill development, and career opportunities. Our year-round programming within the Public, Private, Catholic, and First Nation’s school systems brings awareness; to teachers, students, parents, and the public, of the skilled trades and technologies careers, and their importance to Saskatchewan. Our competitions showcase the talent of our youth and the complexity in skilled trades and technologies.

Incredible opportunities exist in Skilled trades and technologies. Let’s work together to inspire, engage and inform our youth.

Skills Canada Saskatchewan (SCS) is a province-wide not-for-profit organization

with a variety of initiatives encouraging Saskatchewan’s youth to pursue rewarding careers in skilled trades and technologies. www.skillscanadasask.com

We consider Spectrum Engineering to be a flexible, innovative and resourceful engineering company. Our two main areas of focus are on product design/development, and the improvement of manufacturing equipment and processes. We offer more than just design services - we fabricate and install many of the structures and machines that we design. We believe that one of our advantages is that we have worked in many different environments and different type of projects, and this helps us to draw from a large pool of knowledge. We also believe that our size (5 employees) gives our clients a personal and professional experience at rates that offer excellent value, yet we are still able to take on multi-million-dollar projects if required.

www.speceng.ca

North State International Trading, based out of Hong Kong, was established to meet the growing worldwide demands of manufacturers and distributors, We focus on supplying a vari ety of products including castings, forgings, steel fabrications, assemblies and power transmi ssion products. We provide quality contro l, inspections and logi stics services to ensure these pro ducts meet our customer's

A LONG WAY TOGETHER

WHEREVER YOU ARE, BKT IS WITH YOU

No matter how challenging your needs, BKT is always with you, offering a wide range of tires tailored to every need in agriculture: from work in the open field to the orchards and vineyards, from high power tractors to trailers for transport.

Reliable and safe, sturdy and durable, capable of combining traction and reduced soil compaction, comfort and high performance.

BKT: always with you, to maximize productivity