Neeralta has grain storage in the bag

By Janet Morley and Paula Schuck About an hour and a half northwest of Edmonton there is a community called Neerlandia. Keep going a bit further north and you will find the home of Neeralta Manufacturing Inc. embedded in the prairie farming community there. What was started as a diversified repair and fabrication shop in 1984 has developed into a focused agricultural manufacturing business specializing in grain storage systems. Over the years, the company did a variety of work including repairs and fabricating of ag and oil field equipment, but it was in 2008 that Neeralta found its niche and began building grain baggers and then, a bit later, grain extractors. Eventually, the manufacturing of bagging and extracting equipment came to the forefront of the business. Rob Wierenga, co-owner of Neeralta explained, “We found that we had to focus to really do it properly. We focused on manufacturing and that made an impact. Since 2019, we have been strictly manufacturing our own product here.” Quality storage of grain between harvest and shipping is of utmost importance to farmers looking to get the best price for their crop. The lag time between harvesting and shipping can be several months depending on markets and farmers need the security of knowing the condition of their crop at harvest will be maintained through that waiting period. Traditionally, storage of grains would be done in bins, but bagging has brought versatility to farming operations. Bags are an alternative short-term grain storage system that can replace or augment grain bins with added benefits. Grain can be stored at higher moisture levels and can be stored right in the field. This versatility means leased land can house grain storage without the renter having to negotiate and pay for permanent structures on someone else’s land. During extraction, Neeralta’s extractor neatly rolls up the used bag for recycling, returning the storage area to farmable land again for the next year. Bagging is not limited to farming operations where structure storage is not available. In bumper crop years, bagging can add additional on-farm storage capacity immediately without increasing capital costs. Neeralta has been an AMC member since 2013. When asked about the importance of AMC membership, Wierenga talked about the role AMC plays in providing a larger voice for Canadian ag manufacturers who otherwise would not have the time nor the greater impact of a group. “Having a group of this size that has a face to the organization, like Donna Boyd, there’s a direct link to government. In years past there has been a direct presentation to the government. That is incredibly important to the members. It is just not possible for us to be able to do this otherwise. Members are busy running their businesses, so AMC provides an important service in that regard. To have someone like AMC is invaluable and the convention is always such a hit too. It’s great to meet with peers as well as potential vendors at the trade show. These are very positive things about being a member.”

With a client base in Canada and the U.S., Neeralta thinks of their product as made in North America. Right now, having to rely on some overseas components is causing some concern due to shipping delays. While these challenges are part of everyone’s business in these times, Wierenga comments that, “If there were someone here in Canada who could make those items here in Canada, at a somewhat competitive price point, they would have instant sales. 'Made in Canada' is extremely important to us because of keeping jobs here.” Wierenga summed up, “Supporting the local economy as much as possible is important to us as a business. We appreciate when we are supported, and we also try to support as much as we can here by keeping jobs here and supporting our communities.” A company of 20 employees, Neeralta says their greatest innovation has not been specific to one machine but is about direct communication with end users. They work the trade shows themselves and do a lot of direct sales. Feedback is analyzed promptly, and any necessary changes are made quickly. This direct path to management has facilitated Neeralta being able to adapt to market changes and make product improvements more rapidly than other larger or more diversified companies. Without multiple levels of management for approvals, the company can react quickly to customer input. Wierenga said that Neeralta has

managed to bypass the staffing difficulties that some manufacturers are currently weathering and they haven’t had difficulties maintaining their workforce of welders and assemblers. “Even last year we were pretty fortunate, and we stayed staffed quite well.”

“‘Made in Canada’ is extremely important to us because of keeping jobs here.”

Looking Forward

Although no one can predict what the future holds, Wierenga says the company, “will continue to move forward with products and strive to provide good jobs in our community and good products with a strong focus on customers and product reliability. We try to design products that have little downtime and are easy to maintain. This model has worked well for us. Roll with the challenges as they come and keep providing customer service and reliability that people expect from our product.” Being mindful of the dangers of putting all their eggs in one basket, Neeralta is developing new products to diversify their line, offering a wider range of products to their clients. During the last little while, Neeralta has made a strong effort to work on new product development. Neeralta’s new products were shown at this year’s Agri-Trade Equipment Expo, Red Deer, Alberta.

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