Agrico Canada Ltd./Limitee, Mississauga, Ont., has purchased the property of Plaunt Farm Service Ltd. on Little Britain Road in Lindsay, Ont., and has negotiated to continue offering the company’s line of farm supplies. The acquisition of the eight-acre facility allows for construction of a high-speed, state-of-the-art fertilizer bulk blending tower and crop protection storage.
“This is a very positive move for Agrico with a positive outcome for our customers,” said Agrico President R. L. (Bob) Whitelaw. “Our old location was no longer meeting our needs, and we can now add better blending facilities with improved delivery time.”
Construction on the new facility will begin immediately, with Agrico anticipating the move from its current location in Lindsay by mid-November. Agrico is giving up the lease on its former Lindsay location.
The new farm supply store will carry all of Agrico’s product lines, in addition to the many farm supplies that were offered by Plaunt. The exception is Delaval dairy equipment, which will continue to be offered by Plaunt at another location in Lindsay on Durham Street.
“We intend to be serving customers through the transition and we will be operating at full capacity for the spring season,” said Whitelaw.
Doug Plaunt will help during the transition, which he sees as a way to continue assisting long-term customers. He says there will be no disruption of service for either operation, and his dairy customers can find him at his new location on Oct. 23.
Plaunt said he feels good about the deal. “Agrico is going to bring some more great products to the business, and our customers will now have access to more products, such as fertilizer, livestock feed, pet foods and bird seed. This move also allows us to focus on dairy farm equipment.” He added that when a company of Agrico’s stature moves into a location, all the other businesses benefit with the increased traffic.
Agrico, a Canadian fertilizer supplier since 1931, operates a network of warehouses for dry products in eastern and western Canada and St. Paul, Minn. It also offers fertilizer through five company-owned retail outlets in Ontario and Quebec, and is a joint venture partner in 11 dealerships in Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. In total, it serves 80 agri retailers across Canada with 45 members of its certified crop care organization.