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: 531

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

ABP Working Groups address key issues

From traceability to trade structure, coal mining to wildlife conflict, ABP has active working groups on four of the most important files facing Alberta beef producers. Here are updates from each of the groups: Traceability Following the direction of resolutions carried by delegates at the 2026 Annual General Meeting, ABP’s board is forming a dedicated Traceability Working Group. The working group will examine traceability closely, with the objective of providing producer-driven feedback and solutions that reflect on-the-ground realities across Alberta’s beef sector. Members of the working group are being finalized, and will include representatives from ABP’s executive, directors and delegates; partner cattle organizations; and groups such as the Government of Alberta. The working group will be supported by a dedicated facilitator to maintain clear timelines, while also ensuring issues are thoroughly examined. The goal is to develop realistic, workable recommendations to present t

What drives the true cost of forage production?

New COP Network benchmarks reveal what drives forage production costs in Canadian cow-calf operations, from hay and silage to greenfeed, and where producers can improve efficiency. Forage is the backbone of every cow-calf operation — but how much does it really cost to grow? While feed is often viewed as a “homegrown” input, the reality is that forage production can make or break cost competitiveness, especially as input costs continue to rise. Data from the Canadian Cow-calf Cost of Production Network show wide differences in the cost of producing forages such as hay, corn silage, corn for grazing, cereal silage, and greenfeed. But the real insight isn’t just what those costs are, it’s why they differ from farm to farm. Forage costs vary, management matters This analysis includes data from 59 COP Network benchmark farms from 2020 to 2024, covering five major forage types — hay, corn silage, corn for grazing, cereal silage, and greenfeed. Hay remains the dominant forage on Canadia

Multiple pickup trucks under recall

Like any piece of farm equipment, pickup trucks are subject to recalls

Most regions hit the home stretch of seeding

Provincial seeding progress is nearly complete as 93 per cent of seed has been put in the ground across Saskatchewan. The latest figure is up from 80 per cent the previous week, but is still behind the five and ten year average of 97 per cent. The west-central region leads the way at 98 per cent complete, the southwest at 97 per cent, the southeast 96 per cent, the northwest 95 per cent and the northeast entered the home stretch at 92 per cent complete. But farmers in the east-central region still have some work to do as progress currently sits at 84 per cent. While it's a large increase from 63 per cent the previous week, it remains behind the five year average of 93 per cent for the region. Crops Extension Specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture Samantha Marcino, who is based out of Yorkton, notes the Calder area had 164 millimetres of rain and the Canora area around 72 mm. "This did increase the topsoil moisture levels, obviously, in those regions, and some of them were sit

Horizon School Division, Nutrien bring hydroponic learning lab to Lanigan students

Students at Lanigan School will soon get their hands dirty while learning about food production and agriculture. Horizon School Division and Nutrien announced this week a partnership that will see the installation of a hydroponic grow container at the school. Director of Education for Horizon Kevin Garinger says they first saw the grow container in Alberta a few years ago, and the one to be established in Lanigan is the first of its kind within the School Division. "Food security is so vital, and I think one of the things that we are trying to do through this process is educate our children about the impact of the work our farmers, our communities, and our big businesses do in support of agriculture in our province and ultimately across our country and world." said Garinger, adding its opportunities like this that can inspire students to pursue a career in agriculture. "If we make that impact, if we make that kind of impact on the ag industry, on our children to understand that the

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service