Interior of modular farm project (Photo Courtesy Legacy Co-op)

By Alice McFarlane/farmnewsNOW

Modular farm project to provide year-round produce at Saskatchewan grocery store

Dec 5, 2022 | 8:53 AM

MELFORT, SK – The lack of a steady supply of produce has prompted an eastern Saskatchewan Co-op to take matters into its own hands.

The board of directors with Legacy Co-op has approved a modular farm project to be operated in Yorkton.

General manager Bruce Thurston said through the project, safe and healthy leafy greens will be grown at their own location.

“Given the volatility in price and supply of leafy greens right now, it was a great time to invest in this type of operation,” Thurston said.

Legacy Co-op will add a 10-foot-by-40-foot insulated, prefabricated modular growing system behind the Yorkton Food Store.

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“The container is currently in the building stages and will arrive for placement in the spring and the first crop will take six to eight weeks from grow until harvest,” Thurston said.

The prototype grow unit is being constructed by “Growcers Modular Food Solutions” in Winkler, Man.

Mock-up design of modular farm system exterior (Photo supplied by Legacy Co-op)

Thurston said the system includes everything needed to grow fresh produce all year, and therefore, is not trucked hundreds of miles or dependent on weather events.

In addition to providing fresh, sustainable, and safe produce grown in any climate all year, the project will increase self-sufficiency of the food supply and create meaningful employment opportunities, according to food division manager Teresa Polegi.

“We are very excited to see the benefits that this type of project will add to our food operation,” Polegi said.

Legacy Co-op will offer a “house brand” to differentiate them from the rest of the market. This particular project will start with five items, but up to 140 different types of leafy greens and herbs can be grown in the unit.