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: 504

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

Low commodity prices and high input costs a double whammy for Manitoba farmers

Manitoba farmers are facing a perfect storm of low grain prices and soaring fertilizer costs that are threatening profitability for both the current harvest and next year’s crop. Current harvest delivery prices have fallen to $7 per bushel for hard red spring wheat, $13.25 for canola, $11 for soybeans and $4 for oats, representing harvest pricing typically seed at the lows of a pricing cycle. On the cost side, fertilizer costs have climbed significantly from the numbers used in Manitoba Ag’s 2025 crop cost of production guide, which was compiled last November.  Urea has jumped to $850-900 per metric tonne, about 30 per cent higher than the $690 per tonne used in those calculations. Data from Manitoba Ag show a surge in crop production costs in 2022.  Those have stayed elevated and, when combined with current grain prices, the cost pressure is particularly acute.

US wheat finds new markets in Asia

Flour millers in Asia have ramped up imports of U.S. wheat in recent weeks, driven by competitive prices from American suppliers and delays in shipments from the Black Sea. Indonesian importers have finalized deals for around 500,000 tons, while buyers in Bangladesh secured about 250,000 tons and millers in Sri Lanka acquired around 100,000 tons. Millers are taking both U.S. soft white wheat and hard red winter wheat varieties. Apparently, there were some weather issues which delayed cargoes from the Black Sea region, and U.S. prices have been pretty competitive. This is additional demand for U.S. wheat in Asia, complementing purchases by traditional buyers such as Thailand, the Philippines and Taiwan.

Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Agriculture (FPT) Meetings Highlight Farmer Concerns

Industry leaders and government officials kicked off the FPT meetings at a Manitoba farm. Farmers and representatives from the Canola Council of Canada (CCC), CCGA, and provincial commissions shared their concerns directly with Minister MacDonald and Parliamentary Secretary Kody Blois. A key message was clear: farmers cannot borrow their way through these trade disputes, they were not of their making. Farmers are feeling the damage directly in their pockets. With canola selling at a discount between $60-$100/tonne...on an average 20MMT crop, that translates to estimated losses of $1.2–2.0 billion from lost exports to China. Federal Announcements: Some Support, but Gaps Remain The federal government announced $370 million in biofuel funding and additional trade diversification support. While these measures are a step in the right direction, they fall short of addressing the direct impact on canola farmers and exporters in lost bookings. Concerns remain over the lack of timelines for re

The Last Word (For Now) on Rest Stops During Long-Distance Transport

When the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) began to muse about requiring that cattle be unloaded and provided with a rest stop after 36 hours of transportation, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and Canada’s beef industry funded a series of research projects led by Karen Schwartzkopf-Genswein’s team at AAFC’s Lethbridge Research Station to determine whether a rest stop would benefit weaned calves. The research began before the regulations were revised, but the regulations were revised before the research could be completed. Three consecutive research trials conducted in 2018, 2019 and 2020 found that providing a rest stop during long haul transportation offered no consistent, measurable benefits for animal welfare. A companion project led by Trevor Alexander at AAFC Lethbridge looked at bacterial populations in the respiratory tract of those same calves. In September 2023, this column described how microbiological testing from the 2018 transportation trial found that rested

Federal Plastics Registry has new compliance requirement

The federal government has created new reporting requirements under its new Federal Plastics Registry. The registry is being phased in over a few years, however phase 1 requires Canadian brand owners to report on plastic packaging placed on the market by September 29, 2025, for the 2024 calendar year.

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service