b'SEED PLANTA Sense of CommunityThe Bashaw Seed Cleaning Co-operative has been serving its community for more than six decades, and during that time its level of service and sense of community has only grown.WHEN THE TEAM at the Bashaw SeedSince the Bashaw plant first openedof being cutting edge and innovative in Cleaning Co-operative decided it wasin 1959, it has always focused on servingthe seed industry.time to upgrade its plant a few yearsand working with the community theyThe Bashaw Seed Cleaning Co-op was ago, they didnt look at all of the fancycall home, while providing top notchthe first in Alberta to add colour sorting new bells and whistles they could add.pedigreed seed cleaning. In the falltechnology to its facility. By adding colour Instead they focused on expandingof 2018, after 59 years in their originalsorting, the plant was able to attract new their capacity while keeping the samesmaller plant, they cut the ribbon on acustomers and expand their business.standard of service they are known for. new larger capacity facilityusheringThe demand for services was such We maintained a lot of what we didin a new era of business for boththat we were having to run the old plant at the old plant, we did not incorporatethemselves and the community they24 hours a day, and we were unable to a whole bunch of automation. We stillserve. take on any new big customers, Sinclair believe in hands-on, adjusting thesays. At the old plant they were cleaning machinery and visually being out there,A History of Innovation 700,000 bushels a year. In the first full Bill Sinclair, Bashaw Seed CleaningWhile they may have opted out ofyear at the new plant they were able to Co-op manager, says in a phoneadding a lot of fancy automation to theirclean over 1.2 million bushels of seed and interview. new plant, they kept true to their historygrain.The new plant was also built to accommodate the future twinning of the equipment in order to double their output if/when the need arises, Sinclair adds.While the main feature of the new plant was the capacity expansion, a few upgrades to the facility were also added. A pelleting system was installed in order to help with dust collection. The system collects chaff in the plant and turns it into pellets which can be sold as animal feed. Sinclair says it does help, but not every grain chaff pelletizes easily.Sinclair also worked with AGI to create a new model of their STORM FX Seed Treater. The STORM system is a mobile grain auger with an automatic pumping system which applies chemicals. Sinclair reached out to AGI about making an in-house stationary model.Were the first ones to have one of these AGI STORM stationary treating systems out here. Its working wonderful and it was just one those partnerships The Bashaw Seed Cleaning Co-operative built a new seedover time (where) people have been cleaning plant, which increased capacity, in 2018.able to make something happen in our PHOTO: BASHAW SEED CLEANING CO-OPERATIVE industry, Sinclair explains.18seed.ab.ca'