In 1961, 20-year-old Bruce Dunsmore trained as an agent at the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool elevator in Rocanville, Sask.
This summer, the pool gave him the key.
In August he bought the 3,900 tonne elevator, one of about 180 unwanted facilities put up for sale by the pool this year.
For Dunsmore, whose career as a grain buyer lasted just two years, it was a business opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
“It sits right in the middle of my land and it’s just excellent cheap storage,” he said. “There’s no doubt it was a good business decision.”
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Dunsmore bought the elevator for around $50,000, taking it over in August and quickly filling it with grain that would otherwise have gone into Quonsets.
He farms 13,000 acres and grows more than 10,000 tonnes of grain annually, so storage is a big issue, especially in a year like this, which produced an excellent crop in his part of the province.
“We really rushed to get the deal done at the last minute,” he said. “We had everything else full when we started to fill it.”
The elevator’s cleaning capabilities are also a big selling point. So far this year he’s already cleaned more than 100 tonnes of winter wheat.
While describing the decision to buy the elevator as “straight economics”, Dunsmore adds that people in the community are pleased the elevator won’t be demolished.
“I’ve had a lot of praise from local people who wanted it kept in town, which also makes me happy,” he said.
The real estate company selling the pool elevators says it expects to sell about 90 of the 180 put on the market. Most will be sold to private farmers for storage.
A few will be sold for commercial operations, like those in Fillmore, Osage and Creelman.
Blair Stewart, co-owner of Fill-More Seeds Inc., said his special crop company, which has both bagged and bulk business, bought the trio of elevators to ensure continued rail service along the line.
“CP Rail wants 30 cars minimum,” he said. “Without these elevators, I was not in a position to do that.”
Stewart also believes the elevators are viable businesses, saying farmers generally don’t like long distance trucking programs and would still prefer to deliver to a local elevator. He thinks smaller local elevators can play an important role for identity-preserved programs, malt barley and oats.
Like Dunsmore, Stewart said the decision to buy the elevator was based on sound economics.
But he acknowledged there was another factor at work.
“I did it to make a little money, but also honestly to try to keep some of the things viable around here.”
His business employs about 20 people in the three communities and that means more money being spent on local businesses, more kids in school and more people to join the curling club or play hockey.
“I don’t want to be viewed as trying to save a town, but I do think we need to make an effort in the country to save a lot of these facilities,” he said.
