BEECHY, Sask. – An agricultural society generally organizes fairs in small towns, but in Beechy, it is in charge of economic development and rural revitalization.
Matthew Hanke, president of the Victory Agricultural Society, said his group promotes new and existing businesses in the community.
In Beechy, that includes a string of new enterprises from a truck and car wash, a manufacturer of remote-controlled agricultural sprayer booms, the West Central Road and Rail producer car loading facility and a company called Touchwood Resources that is extracting magnesium sulfate from an area lakebed.
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Located on a secondary highway in the midst of boundless pastures and croplands, Beechy is a long drive from any major centre.
“The area is in the middle of nowhere but it is not nowhere Saskatchewan,” said Hanke, noting the town of 300 has adopted a proactive rather than reactive stance.
As an example, Hanke cited the town’s response to the demise of a local elevator that could have led to the abandonment of the rail line.
In the midst of successive dry years, local residents raised $1.8 million in a share offering to launch a producer car loading facility capable of shipping more than 40,000 tonnes of grain. It opened in town last December.
“Everyone comes together and focuses on the task at hand,” said Hanke.
On June 18, the community will celebrate its businesses built with money from mainly private investment.
The society also compiles a list of local businesses and attractions in a booklet and maintains a website at www.beechysask.com.
Hanke described Beechy as a mixed-age community that has seen many young people return to live and work.
Dean Stockman moved back to farm in the community where he was raised. A professional agrologist and commercial pilot who worked as a paramedic, he welcomed the chance be his own boss on the farm.
He called the community an excellent place for him and his wife Maureen to raise their two children, with easy access to the recreational opportunities of Lake Diefenbaker and room to house an assortment of planes and a grass airstrip.
“Beechy is an aggressive, forward-thinking community,” he said, noting it takes more than business to help a community thrive.
Jobs and access to heath and education services draw people, but it also requires people who are friendly and welcoming to newcomers, he said.
Stockman said it will take “thinking out of the box” to sustain the town and that includes attracting non-agricultural businesses less affected by a downturn in the industry.
The area recently acquired cell phone access and looks forward to the addition of high-speed internet and increased irrigation from nearby Lake Diefenbaker.
A new business like West Central Road and Rail translates into two more local jobs, but also draws farmers into town, said the business’s general manager, Devin Hey.
“There’s a lot more people in town,” he said. Farmers can buy groceries, fuel and a meal in town, he said.
For Dale Wiens of Spray Test Controls Inc., it was a chance to create a device to help farmers check their sprayers more safely, and to do it in the community where he farms.
“We’re chasing a bit of a dream,” he said.
