St. Joseph Co-op has started construction on a new agro centre east of the community. The new facility is being built on the north side of Highway 201.

Retail Manager Alain Damphousse says they are now too big for their current location inside St. Joseph.

He says their dry fertilizer storage will see a big increase.

“We'll be putting up 16 new bins which will pretty well almost double our current capacity,” explained Damphousse.

A new 100 x 50 foot chemical shed is also being built on the new site. The old shed, which will remain inside town, was 50' x 40'.

Alain Damphousse

Damphousse notes that they will be moving their blender and leg to the new site and putting their current bins up for sale. He says they will also be adding a seed treatment component at the new site for beans and cereals. The gas station will continue to operate at the current facility.

“I think the reason why we had such a good patronage is because of the service and our facility runs very well and guys come in and they're out very fast,” said Damphousse. “We want to keep that service, not only that, but to improve it. Farmers who have a short window span of seeding, they have a perfect facility to come to. The other part that's so important is that it's member owned, so farmers have a important interest into it.”

He says additional staff may need to be hired as the business continues to grow. Nine people are currently employed by the Co-op during the peak season.

The new agro centre, which will cost about $2.8 million, is expected to be complete by the spring of 2016.

Site preparation is underway by JKW Construction