Photo Gallery: Largest farmer-owned Canadian cooperative

Oct. 3, 2011

Hensall District Cooperative (HDC) employs 300 staff members and is the largest farmer-owned cooperative in Canada.
The cooperative is one of the largest producers and suppliers of edible beans, a local specialty and niche crop.
HDC sells edible bean and food-grade soybeans to more than 40 countries.
The cooperative's crop products include fertilizer, seed, herbicides, and food-grade soybeans. It has two production feed mills for broiler, layer, swine, dairy and beef, making pelleted and textured feeds.
Food producers can deliver their crops to HDC locations or be offered prices for their products at their farm storage sites any time of the year. The cooperative handles 8,000 containers of edible beans annually.
HDC specializes in handling and processing dry edible beans. One of the highlights of the tour was observing how various machines clean and sort this crop.
With 4,400 member-owners, Hensall District Cooperative's vision is to build a consumer-focused, farmer-owned agribusiness, with innovative people committed to excellence in a global marketplace. Its motto is "Proud to be farmer-owned."

Iowa farmer Harlen Persinger recently attended the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists' Congress in Ontario, Canada. One highlight included Persinger's tour of the Hensall District Cooperative, the largest farmer-owned cooperative in Canada.