Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1964-11-19, Page 12'Lr SITOI, SEAFORTH, ONT,, NOV. 19, 1964 c". CHANGES IN APPROACHES to Seaforth Farmers Co-op on Railway Street provide easy access to the mill and to the new retail store shown on the left. The new building provides modern play area. office accommodation, as well as dis- (Expositor photo by Phillips) Established in 1•.94 Co-op Plant Grows (By R. S. McKERCHER) Seaforth Farmers Co -opera tine came into being as the re stilt of discussions on co -opera tie buying held by Farm Radio Forums in the Seaforth area during, the winter of 1942. Prior to that time, fur about 30 years, there had existed in Seaforth a Farmers' Club. A branch of the then' existent United Farmers of Ontario, the 'club operated on a seasonal, off - car, cash and carry basis, hand- ling a limited variety of farm supplies and fertilizer. The ex- ception to this was an unfor- tunate attempt at a full-time ' grocery business, • With the closing of the "Big -Mill" and the going out of busi- ness of the owner of the build- ing now .oc'cupied by Seaforth Farmers Co-operative, there re- mained in Seaforth no really efficient full-time feed service. Farmers doing business in the town had felt the need of such an enterprise. The demand for farm produce, especially live- stock products, coupled with the necessity of bringing in grain 'to produce these commodi., ties to help sustain Cranada's war effort, helped to bring the matter to a head. A general meeting was held in March of 1942 to discuss the possibility of enlarging and strengthening, the operations of the Farmers' Club. A survey committee was appointed , at that meeting. At a later meet- ing. addressed by the late H. H. Hannam, then president of the Canadian Federation of Agri- culture, Leonard Harmon,' now general manager of UCO, and the late. R. J. Scott. it was de- eided to . form a chartered co- operative. A• provisional committee . was appointed with instructions to, „apply .for a charter and to look int() the availability of a busi- ness location. option on the property n4'w occupied Was ob- tained and.' later'. after a drive fr>r, finances was completed, it A a purchased. Obtain Charter The charter was obtained and in Aun*ust of the same year it w'as accepted by the member's, of which there were 78 charter members, and an official board of directors was elected. The hoard included E. B. Goudie, K. E. Jackson, Frank Reynolds, T. W. McMillan, Harry Palin, James McIntosh and R. S. Mc- Kercher. Mr. McKercher was elected chairman, and Frank Reynolds was the first secre- tary. Homer Hunt was employed to manage the business' and in November the mill, purchased from the late J.- A. McKenzie, was opened for business. John Quinlan was the only other em- ployee at that time. It is interesting to note the changes in farming methods signified by the uses to which 1 the building was put. Purchas- ed as a base to bring in feed grain to produce hogs, cattle, dairy and poultry products, to feed not only Canada's .growing population. but also ,.her •great Have You Voted for the 1964 SNOW QUEEN? Voting ends 6 p.m., Saturday armed forces and those ' h ,allies at this crucial stage of the board decided to go into . the war. the original purpose the produce business Soon an of th' of er the annual meeting of members is particular mill was to egg grading station and poultry buy grain from the surround- j buying centre was" established ing countryside and ship it out I on Main Street. This venture of the district. was opened under the manage - It was perhaps an accident !mein of Clare Reith. that the timing of the opening The venture has always been of the business was most op- successful. This part of the portune. In the season follow- business was merged with: the ing, 1943, there was in this dis- newly -organized United Dairy Poultry Co-operative in 1959. UDPC now occupies a new building on South Main Street. ' Enlarge Mill In 1954 the mill; warehouse and grain storage were com- pletely renovated and a valu- ble service has been render - r d to the community from these facilities since that time. Bulk unloading and handling facili- ties for grain and feed were added as -the need for this serv- ice became apparent.' ' --The Co -Operative began to re- tail petroleum products in the late fifties, under a franchise agreement with United Co-op- eratives, which is now one 'of the major distributors of agri- cultural petrolem products in Ontario. Early in 1964, part of the Willis Dundas property, to the west of the original location, was purchased and a decision was made to improve' the office and store facilities, which have always been inadequate. The. old warehouse building on the street line was moved to the newly -purchased property. With the assistance of the Engineer- ing Department of United • Co- operatives, plans Were drawn trict• as near a total failure of feed grains as' has been experi- enced in regent times. The stor- age facilities of the newly ac- quired buildings were at the service of the livestock feeders of the community, and the old grain house was actually full to the rafters at 'the close of navigation in '1943. This pro- vided a real service and con- tributed much to the mainten- ance of vital flocks and herds during the lean winter. .,t, Membership Grows A complete line of ready -mix- ed feeds and mixing facilities was .maintained from the be; ginning, and it was apparent. from the patronage that the service was appreciated by the membership which continued to grow. Various lines of farm supplies, such as fencing, fer- tilizers and coal were added items ,handled as time went on. Feeds prepared by United. Co-operatives. 'have been hand- led from the beginning. When the Co-op feed mixing program w a s inaugurated, Seaforth Farmers Co-operative took the first load of Premix from the new plant in Guelph. Irt 1947, after direction from • for a new office and store on the east end of the relocated warehouse. The contract for -the erection of the new building was given to Frank Kling Limited, and has now been completed. Provides Display Area In addition to the new office arrangements, the new building houses display space for a lim- ited lime of farm hardware, ani- mal health products, work cloth- ing, white goods and household appliances. The approach to the feed mill has been greatly improved by the. removal of the old ware- house. When grading is com- pleted, much of the difficulty formerly experienced with traf- fic tieups, especially in winter weather, should be' eliminated." Seaforth Farmers Co-opera- tive is a member'of United Co- operatives of Ontario, along with 140 other local Co-opera- tives in Ontario. United Co-op eratives is the regional whole- sale and is owned' and control- led by. the local co-operatives. There are over 400 local members of Seaforth Farmers Co-operative, and _ the present board of directors is composed of the following members: Iden Stewart, president; W a r d e n Haney, secretary; Gordon El- liott, vice-president; Stephen Murray, John Oldfield, Donald Dodds and R. S. McKercher, Clifford Ruston is manager, and his staff includes Joseph Murray-. Thomas Carter, John Anderson. Hank Van Baekel, Neil Hodgert. William Brown and Stewart de Vries. Keep Clean, Colleens Colleens Warn The third meeting of the Dublin Coleens was held at the home of Mrs. C. Friend. Money collected will be spent on safe- ty books. Discussion centred on "Club girl keeps fit physically and pos- ture," and the girls agreed that if anyone is unhealthy they are not pretty. If you are healthy you then feel pretty. Any club girl then is concerned .about her family, the welfare of her sisters, brothers, mothers and fathers. She must learn to fight everyday enemies, Posture plays a great part in health. If we slump, don't sit or stand properly, we are bound to be nhealthy.. The group practiced tanding and sitting straight. u s Later, they practised band- aging a cut finger, with Mrs. Friends demonstrating. , The fourth meeting was held at the home of Mrs. Wilfred .Annis. Mrs. Friend and Mrs. Annis and the members decid- ed to canvass for "The March of Dimes." j Topics were, "Sanitation", "How 'We Fight Germs" and "Protection From Disease." Sanitation is one of the world's most , important things. Sanita- tion', means disease free ' and clean. In order to fight the tiny micro organisims, we cover our mouth when we cough or` sneeze. We test water for YlYim- purities. The club girl is fak- ing these lessons to encou'age these practises in their home. We fight germs by being heal- thy, for you are more sensitive to germs when unhealthy. To fight germs we: (1) wash hands often: (2) use good sanitation, and (3) wash all food before eating. To protect ourselves from diseases is very impor- tant. To prevent spread of them we: (1) separate Iinen and dish- es they use and boil .it; (2) covering their mouths when coughing: Gayle Lannin and Barbara Marriatt served lunch.. Have You Voted for the' 1964 SNOW QUEEN? Voting ends 6 p.m., Saturday IRMA PETERSON to the members and management of the SEAFORTH FARMERS (0- OPERATIVE on the completion of a CO --OP STORE We are proud to have been chosen as general contractor responsible for the construction of these new facilities. FRANK KLING LTD. GENERAL CONTRACTOR Phone 527-1320 SEAFORTH it Congratulations to the Members of - the Seaforth Farmers Co-operative on Completion of their New Store With these added facilities, the CO-OP will be able to provide even better serv- ice to the Seaforth district. We, too, are looking forward to the opening in the near future of our new Office and Grading Station- on Main St., South• . United Dairy and Poulty Coop C. A. REITH, Manager Phone 527-1590 ISM SEAFORTH- Thurs., Fri., Sat. Nov. 19, 20, 21 PIG STARTER GROWER IT'S HEALTHY PIGS THAT MAKE YOU MONEY! Pig Starter Grower Pellets Regular $4.60 OPEN HOUSE SPECIAL Feed 100 Pounds per pig and watch them grow!' 4.25 CALF STARTER GROWER "LAST YEAR'S WELL - FED CALF IS THIS YEAR'S HEALTHY HEIFER" Feed Calf Starter Grower from 1 week to 3 months Calf Starter Grower — Regular $4.80 OPEN HOUSE SPECIAL - - - $4.55 "STOP -. THOSE SCOURS" Reduced Iron for Pigs Regular $1.25 OPEN HOUSE SPECIAL - 99c SOFT SHELLED EGGS ? ? THE BEST CURE SHELLMAKER Regular $1.00 • OPEN HOUSE SPECIAL - - - 84c Seaforth Farmers Co-op Phone Phone 527-0770 SEA FORTH • • • • • s • •