Agriculture manufacturers in southeast Saskatchewan are makin adjustments to their operations to adapt to covid-19
SeedMaster
SeedMaster in Emerald Park is one of the leading innovators in the agriculture industry for their work in seeding and to continue to be there for their customers during the pandemic they鈥檝e had to adapt to the circumstances. 鈥淥f course we鈥檝e felt the impact,鈥� said SeedMaster Director of Product Strategy Rochelle Beaujot. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been lucky from a financial standpoint because farmers are considered an essential service which granted us the ability to continue on and not have to close down completely. That was one of the best outcomes that I could have ever imagined with Covid-19 coming into our lives.鈥�
鈥淲e had to take pretty big precautions with our staff because of that and try to maintain good physical distancing. We minimized the amount of office staff tremendously, we only allowed people who couldn鈥檛 work remotely to stay in the office. It was a very small number of people that we had stay in the office. All of our shop floor staff had to have additional PPE to ensure that they were safe and the people around them were safe. We added additional hand washing stations throughout the facility and dedicated times for staff to wash their hands at different points throughout the day. We also added additional cleaning measures with our cleaning staff here more often and doing more frequently cleaning ourselves in the office.鈥�
With Covid-19 escalating so quickly in Canada, the decisions and changes came fast for SeedMaster to continue operating.
鈥淚t was definitely on the fly and it changed drastically every day, especially in the beginning,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut we were able to adapt and we have an amazing HR manager here and she took on the bulk of the responsibility to make sure everybody was safe and all the protocols were met that we were putting in place. It wasn鈥檛 easy by any stretch of the imagination, but it definitely was something that we were able to overcome and we worked hard to make sure that we could do it and keep open.鈥�
鈥淎t the end of the day we wanted to make sure we could service our farmers and that they were the light that kept us moving forward all of the time.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if it will ever feel normal because as Canadians we鈥檙e polite most of the time and it鈥檚 a strange feeling when you鈥檙e in the office talking to a co-worker and they鈥檙e standing across the room from you,鈥� she said. 鈥淣othing really feels normal, it will always feel a bit odd.鈥�
Although the adjustments SeedMaster had to make felt strange to the employees, they were smooth and had little impact on their customers.
鈥淚 think it took a little while to get used to working remotely,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ome people excel at it and some people struggle, it鈥檚 very much dependent on people鈥檚 personality, type, I think. For the most part the transition was smooth, we had to do a bit of work with our IT to make sure that everything was secure from remote stations and there were a lot more security precautions put in place because of it. It took a little while to feel comfortable being remote and with children at home, it鈥檚 not easy.鈥�
鈥淥n the outside I think things ran pretty much the same as usual,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure if customers even noticed a difference. We did lock our doors to outsiders so when they do pick up parts they have to pick them up outside the office. The changes that the customers would have felt were minimal. Our support staff does most of the online support through phones and not one-on-one with farmers unless there鈥檚 a need to actually see them. It has been pretty steady for the customers and we鈥檝e been able to keep up. I think we鈥檝e been able to keep things as normal as possible.鈥�
With how frequently things have changed during the Covid-19 pandemic, Beaujot says it鈥檚 hard to know what type of long-term impact it will have on the agriculture industry.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really hard to say (how long the impact will be),鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e heard predictions that it鈥檚 going to be six months to two years before things become a bit more normal and markets start recovering a bit more. I think because of the industry we鈥檙e in it might be a lesser amount, hopefully closer to that six months. It鈥檚 very hard to predict right now.鈥�
Bridgeview Manufacturing Inc.
Bridgview Manufacturing owner and Saskatchewan farmer Kevin Hruska runs one of the most trusted farm equipment manufacturers in Saskatchewan and he says having time to prepare for change helped the situation.
鈥淥n the Bridgeview side of it, we鈥檙e just keeping the distance, doing extra cleaning, just the more hygienic things that maybe we all should have been practicing anyway.鈥�
鈥淣ot big changes because we are so rural, we鈥檙e used to working alone, and we don鈥檛 have anybody around us that has it. Saskatchewan and us people in this area have enjoyed the privilege of the advanced warning from the rest of the world. With that advanced warning we stopped kissing each other and sharing drinks before it really hit.鈥�
鈥淥n the farm side we鈥檙e in it for the long haul so we鈥檙e business as usual,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e grow good grain and people have to eat, maybe they鈥檙e eating a little less, but less stuff is being wasted. We鈥檝e had to make very few changes on the farm side because you鈥檙e sort of in a self quarantined position anyway.鈥�
Farmers are used to having to constantly adjust to continue on says Hruska, and although Covid-19 offers different challenges, it鈥檚 not all negative.
鈥淲e have some business going on and when you鈥檙e ag related 鈥� farmers have lifetime mentalities. We go through these ups and downs all of the time. On the grain side, contracts were honoured and grain is moving. As a matter of fact, the only positive I can see from it on the ag side is the trains have nothing else to do and they鈥檙e actually moving our grain because they have spare time. They鈥檙e moving on time and doing a great job. With the economy slowing down they have spare trains and are actually moving product on time. That helps us. It seems like countries are taking our grain because this isn鈥檛 the time for them to ration and they鈥檙e keeping the grain coming.鈥�
鈥淚 do have a concern though, every deep fryer on the face of the planet was shut off one morning,鈥� he said. 鈥淓ventually that鈥檚 going to come and really hit the canola market. How much canola oil do you use when you put one teaspoon into your pizza dough compared to when you fill your turkey fryer at Thanksgiving. That鈥檚 kind of the worry.鈥�
Overall, Hruska says it鈥檚 hard to gauge where things will be down the road for his business and the ag industry in general, with all of the negative factors right now.
鈥淥n the manufacturing side we鈥檝e felt the impact, we鈥檙e sort of running in a limp mode,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not as bad as a restaurant or anything like that, generally speaking the agriculture side hasn鈥檛 taken as big of a hit yet, but I think it鈥檚 more of an erosion and I don鈥檛 know how we鈥檙e going to turn it around. Once your business is lost and that day comes when it鈥檚 supposedly over, your business doesn鈥檛 come back. You have to rebuild it from scratch, just like you did the first time. I鈥檓 sort of expecting that, however, the economy really wants to fight back on this one so we鈥檙e hoping for the best. It鈥檚 silenced the phones, though.鈥�
鈥淧eople are hunkering down, there鈥檚 no overtime, we鈥檙e running short shifts, their income is damaged,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut people have disposable money and they鈥檙e not wasting it. That鈥檚 part of what鈥檚 hurting our business. The negative news with politics, with China resisting our product, a rogue president in the United States antagonizing the world and their internal fighting. How can you turn on the news and feel like spending money? There鈥檚 a negative vibe out there and Covid-19 is just part of it.鈥�
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