Prairie North Co-op Retrofit Serves Rural Members

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Prairie North Co-op Retrofit Serves Rural Members
July 15, 2025

Melfort, SK (for immediate release) — At Prairie North Co-operative, the vision is to be the trusted first choice in the community. Sometimes achieving that vision requires thinking outside the box and taking an innovative approach to problem solving.

In 2019, the Prairie North Co-op Agro Fuel team began to offer a number of bulk oil products to its rural customers and members. Initially, these products were delivered via truck and trailer which limited the volume that the fuel team was able to carry (max 3000L). This limitation also impacted the number of customers that could be serviced in a day. Recognizing the drawbacks of the truck and trailer delivery setup, the decision was made to find a more efficient way to supply bulk oil products to customers.

At the time, Federated Co-operatives Limited offered a cube truck setup; however, in its petroleum fleet, Prairie North Co-op already had a 2008 Sterling tandem heavy truck that could be dedicated to bulk oil delivery with a retrofit. Rather than incur the cost of a new truck, it only made sense to utilize one of the existing units. It was anticipated that the conversion would make it possible to carry up to six times the volume of the truck and trailer setup.

August 29, 2022 Unit 465 delivered petroleum for the last time and was sent to Cropper Motors in Naicam, SK to have the tanks steam cleaned and the meters recalibrated. A little over one week later Unit 465 made its first bulk oil deliveries to four of Prairie North Co-op members.

Unit 465 now carries all three products offered under the bulk oil program at the same time: DMO 15W40, DMO 5W40 Synthetic and THF. Today, these products are delivered direct to farm which eliminates the need to swap out containers. Drums and totes can be filled right in a customer’s shop. Unit 465 reloads in Spalding, SK and typically operates out of both Kelvington and Naicam. In addition to servicing the same trading area as the Prairie North Co-op trucks delivering petroleum, the bulk oil truck also delivers to neighbouring co-operatives in Wadena, Rama, Quill Lake and Foam Lake - giving their customers the benefit of the bulk program.

Customer feedback is that they are very happy with the bulk oil service. In addition to the savings offered through the bulk oil program, it eliminates moving heavy drums and totes. Another advantage is that with the meter system that is run though the truck, containers can be filled to the specific volume required by the customer which reduces the potential of product sitting for an extended period before it is used.

The innovations outlined above have given the Prairie North Co-op Agro Fuel team to deliver almost 40% more bulk oil liters in 2024 compared to 2021 and there is still room to grow that business as Unit 465 is not on the road every day. To have bulk oil products delivered to your farming operation, reach out to your Prairie North Co-op Fuel Team member today.

For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Terri Larsen, Marketing and Communications Manager
Prairie North Co-op
C: 306.527.4792 | E: Terri.larsen@prairienorth.crs
W: www.prairienorthco-op.crs

ABOUT PRAIRIE NORTH CO-OP
Prairie North Co-op operates out of 25 locations – from St. Brieux, Spalding and Naicam in the west; to Melfort and Brooksby in the north; and Archerwill and Kelvington in the east. We serve our members with products and services that help build, feed, fuel and grow the communities in which we live and do business. As a co-operative, we are a different kind of business; we are not only working for our communities, but we are also owned by our community. Co-ops embed sustainability in their business by planning and investing for the long term, with the community and environment in mind; they work to create jobs; and they partner with other organizations and local businesses. Prairie North Co-op profits do not leave the community, they go back into it – and back to our members. We take pride in our community involvement and our commitment to providing quality products and services.


Prairie North Co-op employs 320 and serves 13,426 members. We continue the tradition of giving back through financial support to several local organizations. In 2024, sponsorship and donations totalled $148,295 to over 200 different organizations in our trading area. Locally invested. Community-minded. Lifetime membership benefits. We are Co-op.