Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Weagant Farm Supplies Celebrates 60 Years of Service In The Eastern Ontario Farm Machinery Business.

Rooted in Eastern Ontario history: Local farm business celebrates 60 years of service.

WINCHESTER, ON,  This month marks the 60th anniversary celebration of a staple in the Eastern Ontario agricultural industry, Weagant Farm Supplies. With three stores across the region - two in the Winchester area, one just outside Brockville – Weagant Farm Supplies invites the community to the anniversary celebrations this Friday, August 23.

Company history:

The late Fred Weagant started the business by opening a Cockshutt dealership in South Mountain, Ontario, in 1953. He and his wife, Anita, both worked in the business throughout the years and through many changes in the industry, including the sale of Cockshutt and Oliver Companies to the White Motor Company in the 1960s. In 1980, following a series of industry buyouts, Weagant Farm Supplies became a Fiat tractor dealership under the Hesston brand name. Finally, when Fiat bought out Ford-New Holland in 1993, Weagant Farm Supplies conducted business under the New Holland flag and still does today.

 

During this active period of mergers and acquisitions, not only did the Weagants manage to conduct business effectively, but they expanded and became more versatile. Fred and Anita’s eldest son, Bob, joined the dealership in 1970, followed by their son-in-law, Dave Black, in 1974. In 1976, the company built a new facility on County Road 43, Winchester. This store housed the White Farm Equipment line while the New Holland line continued in South Mountain under the direction of Dave Black until 1988, when the South Mountain business operations merged into the Winchester facility.

 

Laird Weagant, Fred and Anita’s second son, joined the business in 1980. Weagant Farm Supplies expanded again, opening a dealership in Brockville in 1983 that carries Kubota, Kawasaki, and several short lines. Topline Trailer & Equipment, which opened in 1993 south of Vernon, also carries Kubota and has a full complement of trailers.

 

Business today:

Bob Weagant, Laird Weagant and Dave Black, are the second generation owners of Weagant Farm Supplies. Both Bob and Laird are still very involved in the everyday operation of the business while Dave celebrated his retirement five years ago. Third generation owners are also part of this successful business: Stacey Weagant, Human Resources and Finance; Julie Baker, Office Manager; and Scott Weagant, Manager of Topline Trailer & Equipment.

 

Rooted in their rural surroundings, the business owners believe in supporting their community. To this end, Weagant Farm Supplies donates bursaries to local students, supports local trade shows and fairs, local hospitals, Canadian Club, Upper Canada Playhouse, local 4-H clubs, the Cattlemen’s Associations in the area, Junior Farmers, Heart and Stroke Foundation and a multitude of other farm related organizations and events. The Brockville store offered its facilities as the depot for distribution of generators by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs during the 1998 ice storm and was involved in the Hay West Movement a few years ago, providing both tractors and manpower to load the hay onto railway cars.

 

Weagant Farm Supplies has consistently supported the Canada East Equipment Dealers’ Association and was one of the founding members of Farm Fleet. They send out their own publication, “Farmfest News,” to some 22,000 rural route customers between Belleville and Ottawa and the Quebec border.

 

Weagant Farm Supplies currently employs 67 people in its three locations and believes the company’s strength is in its employees. Many employees have worked for the company over 25 years – Ault VanBokhorst (38 years), Elwood Giroux (32 years), Joe Vasey (30 years). Beth Winters, Pat Byvelds, Dale Countryman and Gary VanHoof have all been with Weagant Farm Supplies for 28 years.  

 

Celebrations

The company owners are hosting an anniversary celebration on Friday, August 23, 2 p.m., at the flagship store in Winchester, 11250 County Road 43. All customers and members of the community are invited to drop in, have a piece of cake, and celebrate the occasion. Invitations have been extended to the local dignitaries from the Counties of North & South Dundas as well as Leeds & Grenville, and to the company’s supplier representatives.

For more information visit the Weagant Farm Supplies website at http://www.weagantfarm.com

 

 

Views: 500

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Manitoba Planting Advances; Remains Ahead of Average Pace

Manitoba producers made just minor seeding advances this past week, although overall progress remains ahead of last year and the five-year average.  The weekly provincial crop report pegged seeding at 8% complete as of Tuesday, up 5 points from a week earlier and ahead of 4% last year and 6% on average.   Almost half the spring wheat acres in the Central and Interlake regions have been seeded, the report said, with other regions progressing quickly. Seeding of oats and barley has begun in the Southwest, Central, Eastern, and Interlake regions.  Canola planting has started in the Central region. Sunflowers have also started to be seeded in the Central and Interlake regions. Field peas are being seeded in all regions, while soybean crops are being planted in the Central, Eastern, and Interlake regions.   Manitoba received variable amounts of precipitation over the past four days, ranging from 0 mm to 12.7 mm with most regions receiving less than 0.5 mm.  Southwest:  Good weather ov

Canadian Corn Stocks Hit Decade Low, Soybeans Heavier

Canadian corn stocks as of March 31 fell to a decade low, while soybean stockpiles hit the highest in five years.  Thursday’s Statistics Canada grain stocks report showed total national corn stocks at 7.197 million tonnes, down 13% from a year earlier and the lowest since March 31, 2015, at 6.289 million. In contrast, March 31 soybean stocks were pegged at 2.393 million tonnes, a year-over-year increase of nearly 11% and the heaviest since March 31, 2020.  StatsCan said corn stocks fell amid a more than 50% fall in imports to 1 million tonnes, combined with a doubling in exports to 1.4 million.  Soybean stocks were at least partially buoyed by a larger 2024 Canadian crop, up 8.4% on the year to 7.568 million tonnes.   National on-farm corn stocks as of March 31 decreased 8.5% compared with the same date in 2024, to 4.9 million tonnes, while commercial stocks fell 20.9% to 2.3 million.   On-farm soybean stocks rose 11.1% to 1.4 million tonnes, with commercial stocks up 10.6% to 988

Early Saskatchewan Planting Ahead of 5-, 10-Year Averages

Spring planting is off to quick start in Saskatchewan, with almost 20% of the 2025 crop in the ground already.  The first weekly crop report of the season on Thursday pegged provincewide planting at 18% complete as of Monday. That’s 8 points ahead of the five-year average and 6 points better than the 10-year average. Last year, planting was 12% done at this time.  “Despite multiple storms throughout the province in April, producers were able to get into their fields and make rapid progress over the last couple of weeks,” the report said.  Limited moisture fell throughout much of the province over the last week. The highest reported rainfall was in the Alida area at 16 millimetres (mm) followed by the Lafleche area at 12 mm.  Planting progress is the most advanced in the southwest region, where 43% of the crop was in as of Monday and the first seeded crops starting to emerge. The northwest and southeast regions are also making good progress, at 15% and 14% done, respectively. The we

Understanding Yardage Costs in Cow-Calf Operations

Have you ever wondered where your money goes during the winter-feeding period? Feed costs are easy to spot in a beef cattle operation, but what about the other expenses quietly chipping away at your bottom line? This is where yardage comes in—it is a crucial part of managing winter feeding costs in cow-calf operations.  What is Yardage? Yardage refers to the overhead and non-feed costs incurred while maintaining cattle during the winter-feeding period. These costs include day-to-day expenses such as labor, equipment and building maintenance, fuel, utilities, manure handling and other general expenses like farm taxes and accounting fees. They also include non-cash costs such as machinery and facility depreciation, which represent the graduate loss of value in assets over time. Why Does Yardage Matter to a Beef Producer? Yardage may not grab attention like feed costs, but it significantly impacts profitability. These costs, especially non-cash costs like depreciation, often remain unno

Mother’s Day Q&A with Anna McCutcheon

The hardest part about motherhood is balancing everything, Anna McCutcheon says

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service