The company announced the deal in a Sept. 22 news release outlining the purchase agreement.

It includes the grain elevator and storage assets but not the fermentation and distillation facility on the same site.

The facility has storage capacity of 63,000 tonnes, making it one of the largest in Western Canada, as well as full cleaning and drying capability. Both CN and CPKC provide rail service to the site.

NWT, however, has booked several years of financial losses and announced last September it would indefinitely halt operations at the Unity elevator, about 80 km southwest of North Battleford.

NWT said in a separate release Sept. 22 it expects the aggregate purchase price to be $27 million, “substantially all” of which would go to pay down debt.

“Given the current state of the grain industry and the recent financial results of the company’s grain division, the board believes it is in the best interests of the company and its stakeholders to sell the company’s grain assets, make a significant repayment of debt and continue to operate the fermentation and distillation business,” NWT chairman Brad Sperle said in the release.

The sale is subject to approval by NWT shareholders — who include local farmers and others — at a meeting to be held the week of Oct. 20, and would then close on or about Oct. 29.

“We firmly believe that our operational and logistical expertise, focus on superior service and targeted future investments in the facility will allow us to bring it to its full potential for the benefit of our customers,” Bunge Canada CEO Kyle Jeworski said in a separate release. — Includes files from Grainews staff

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Canterra Seeds announced May 1 it has acquired Alliance Seed for an undisclosed amount, and will continue to operate Alliance as “a standalone brand under Canterra Seeds’ umbrella, with key staff transitioning to maintain continuity and customer relationships.”

Alliance, headquartered in Winnipeg, dates back to 2009, when it formed as a joint venture between two privately held Winnipeg grain and agrifood firms (Paterson Grain, Parrish and Heimbecker) and four Saskatchewan grain terminal firms (North West Terminal, Weyburn Inland Terminal, Prairie West Terminal, Great Sandhills Terminal).

Paterson announced in December 2023 it had bought P&H’s share for an undisclosed amount. North West Terminal — the only other company still holding a share of Alliance at that time — later reported it had sold its stake in November 2024 for $8,300.

Alliance’s roster of seed varieties includes five varieties of Canada Western Red Spring wheat, one Canada Western Red Winter wheat, three durums, two Canada Prairie Spring Red wheats, three pea varieties, three barley varieties and two oat varieties.

Canterra, in a release May 1, described the deal as a “strategic acquisition” that supports its goal of “expanding its footprint in the pedigreed seed market by bringing high-performing, proven varieties such as CDC Endure milling oats and AAC Leroy VB CWRS wheat to more farmers across Western Canada.”

Alliance “has built an impressive portfolio and a network supported by committed seed growers,” Canterra CEO Brent Derkatch said in the release. “With our experience, we’re confident we can build on this strong foundation, help the brand grow, and offer even more value to Canadian farmers.”

Shane Paterson, director of trading and transportation for Paterson Grain and the former president of Alliance, said in the same release that as Paterson “looked for the right successor, it was important to find someone who aligned with Alliance Seed’s culture and commitment to personalized service.”

Paterson, he said, “look(s) forward to continuing our support through our retail network.”

Formed in 1996 by a group of Prairie seed growers, Winnipeg-based Canterra’s stakeholders today include about 175 seed growers, ag retailers and other private investors.

Among those are French farmer co-operative Limagrain, which bought its stake when it set up a wheat breeding joint venture with Canterra in 2015, and United Farmers of Alberta (UFA), which bought a 17 per cent share of Canterra from Ceres Global Ag Corp. for $2.5 million in July last year.

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