SASKATOON — And so dies a dream.
Thus began an April 4, 1991 editorial by Keith Dryden, former editor of The Western Producer. He was talking about Canadian Co-operative Implements Ltd. (CCIL) which had just been placed in receivership.
Now, three years later, Vern Mittelholtz wants to keep the memory of this farmer co-operative alive. He is trying to get a book written about the CCIL before much of the information about the farm equipment manufacturer is lost.
His father was one of the first to get involved with the co-operative and Mittelholtz still owns a full line of CCIL machinery.
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“It’s a bit of history for Western Canada. Co-op Implements was pretty important in the machinery end of agriculture production.”
The CCIL was incorporated in 1940, but didn’t start operations until 1946, after the Second World War. The company set up a small plant in Winnipeg and began purchasing equipment from other manufacturers. It also built its own unique products.
“A lot of new, innovative ideas by farmers were brought forth,” said Mittelholtz.
The retail arm of the company was established through a network of sales and service depots in Western Canada. A group of depots would form an area and each depot area would elect a delegate and a committee. Mittelholtz said some of these areas still have committee funds and he is looking into the possibility of putting these funds towards the book project.
Expansion leads to downfall
In the early 1970s the company made what turned out to be a fatal decision. Co-op Implements decided to expand production just as the farm machinery economy entered a downturn. On July 7, 1973, CCIL opened the doors to its new $7.2 million plant in Winnipeg. The company manufactured combines, swathers, discers, cultivators, harrows and other pieces of farm equipment in the 7.5-acre plant.
By the late 1980s the CCIL’s board of directors could see the writing on the wall. In 1987 the co-operative joined forces with Vicon Manufacturing Inc. in a last ditch attempt to stave off closure. But the losses piled up and the partnership soon failed. In March, 1991, after 50 years of operation, the bank pulled the plug on CCIL.
Now all that’s left are memories and Mittelholtz would like to preserve them in the form of a book.
The project is in the early stages. Right now Mittelholtz is looking for contacts who could help with financing and production of the book. He has no idea how much it will cost to produce or how to go about producing it, but he’s determined that the history of the farmer co-operative will be captured on paper.
(Mittelholtz can be reached at Box 17, Aylesbury, Sask, S0G 0B0 (306-734-2945).
