A new shopping opportunity has been launched to western Canadian farmers this fall as the Manitoba-based Pitura Seeds joins with an online “shopping mall” that connects farmers to a growing list of agronomic products and services across the country as well as around the world.
Pitura Seeds, based at Domain, Man., is a long-time, family-owned seed company with a very diversified portfolio of agricultural services that became the first ag retailer in Canada to join the online Agro.Club.
“We’re still here to shake hands and welcome customers in person … that hasn’t changed,” says Tom Greaves, president of Pitura Seed Services. “But now as we join Agro.Club, customers also have the option to go online to access our products and services. We are the first ag retailer in Canada to join this online service but, as we found out during the pandemic, these are changing times, so this becomes an option for customers who prefer to shop online.”
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Greaves describes Agro.Club as an online “shopping mall” for agricultural products and services connecting farmers with retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, distributors and grain/food companies all in one digital platform. And along with its Canadian website, Agro.Club also offers a similar online shopping experience with links to the United States as well as Europe and even Russia.
“It is not a replacement for anything,” says Greaves. “But for those who prefer shopping online, it just gives them the flexibility and convenience. And for new customers, yes, pedigreed seed sales are a large part of what we do at Pitura Seeds, but we are more than an ag retailer, so it is a great opportunity to showcase our range of products and services.”
Today, Pitura Seeds farms more than 4,000 acres and contracts around 35,000 acres of quality cereal, pulses and oilseeds annually.
Although customers need to create an account to use the service, there are no fees to access Agro.Club Canada.
Agro.Club history
Created in early 2019, Agro.Club started in Europe and within two years established a clientele that included more than 10,000 farmers (20 million acres), 4,000 grain/food companies and 200 retailers/distributors.
Building on that experience, Agro.Club has now opened both U.S. and Canadian online marketing platforms. As Agro.Club signs up more companies, one of its important services for farmers is to “reduce the noise” — cut through the advertising and access relevant product information, according to the website.
Along with agri-retailers and service providers, Agro.Club Canada says it is soon to offer a grain and oilseed marketplace on its website as well.
