Seventy years of continued strength and stability for farmer-owners of Sunderland Co-op!

SUNDERLAND, Ontario, Nov. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Farmer-owners of Sunderland Co-operative learned last Tuesday they would receive patronage refunds again this year during the co-ops 69^th Annual General Meeting held at the Fenelon Township Community Centre in Cambray.

Urs Kressibucher, Sunderland Co-operative president announced that the co-op will pay out $256,000 in patronage to its farmer-members. “This is not new a new concept for Sunderland Co-op,” says Kressibucher. “Delivering a profitable result and providing patronage to our members has been a consistent trend for the co-op.” From its first year in business in 1950 and for the next 69 years, the co-op has generated a positive bottom-line and shared profits with its members each, and every year.”

Sunderland Co-operative general manager Jake Vancuren reported annual sales of just under $61 million with an income before patronage and taxes of more than $823 thousand. “Again, this year, the co-op not only saw growth in its financial reporting, but also in expansion,” says Vancuren.

The co-op reported improvements in its internal administration, customer interaction, enhanced product lines, services and equipment offerings. The co-op also announced future expansions with plans for a new fertilizer blender facility in Oakwood and a multi-phase plan for its newly purchased 12.8 acre property just outside of Peterborough. Throughout Vancuren’s reporting, he spoke about the ongoing theme and commitment to ‘serving members’ growing needs’ and the importance of ‘staying the course’.

With the retirement of Urs Kressibucher, the board elected Paul Mann from Peterborough as their president, Paul Brown from Oakwood as vice president and Warren Jibb from Sunderland as secretary. Newly elected to the board are Darrel Snodden and Bruce Prentice both from Sunderland.

Other activities during the evening included the launch of the Clare Hayes Leadership Award in honour of Sunderland Co-operative’s previous long-term general manager and his contributions to the success of the co-operative. The award recognizes employees who have shown excellence in leadership. Maureen Beaton, feed division manager, was the first to receive this award in recognition of her collaborative leadership style and strong co-operative values. 

A local 4-H Association presented a barn quilt to the co-op in appreciation of its ongoing support to 4-H; and key note speaker Shaun Haney, founder of @realagriculture and co-host of RealAg Radio provided current issues facing agriculture with real perspectives from farmers across Canada.

Sunderland Co-operative Inc. is owned by 1,800 farmers and has a successful track record of serving its members and rural residents for seven decades in the areas of Durham/York Region, Brock and Kawartha Lakes, and the county of Victoria. It is a full-service agricultural co-operative offering The Whole Farm Plan with a complete complement of products and services in agronomy, feed, energy, grain marketing, and consumer needs. Sunderland Co-operative is a member-owner of GROWMARK, Inc. and markets its products and services under the FS brand. Visit www.sunderlandco-op.on.ca