A public hearing for an amendment to the County of Vermilion River’s (CVR) municipal development plan (MDP) has shed light on Richardson Pioneer, the company looking to expand into the county.
Read more: VIDEO: Outdoor market a “big family” in Lloyd
“We are currently in the process of purchasing a 15-acre parcel of land within the County of Vermilion River for the development of a greenfield crop inputs facility,” said Mike Schmidt, location manager of Richardson Pioneer in Vermilion, noting details of the site.
“The quarter of land we are planning on subdividing already has 22 acres subdivided out,” said Schmidt. “There is a large acreage on the southwest corner of the quarter as well as a radio tower site.
“Our proposed development is on the opposite northeast corner of this quarter. The intersection of Highway 16 and Range Road 62 would be the primary access point for the new facility.”
The amendment to the municipal development plan would allow the project to move forward.
“Bylaw 25.15 as an amendment to the municipal development plan (and) would allow this project to move forward within the county,” he said.
According to CVR documents, the updated wording in subsection 5.2.8 of the MDP, if amended, would read: “The combined total maximum area of land that may be subdivided from a quarter section for vacant rural residential parcels, abandoned farmstead separations, and developed rural residential parcels shall be 10.1 ha (25 ac).”
Richardson Pioneer is a privately-held agriculture company that services Vermilion and the surrounding area.
“We retail fertilizer, crop protection products, seed, equipment rentals, custom application services as well as providing agronomic and scouting services,” said Schmidt.
They are currently located on the east end of vermilion within town lengths and have been operating out of that location for 20 years.
“We are land-locked at this location for further growth and development and our current facilities are reaching the end of their estimated useful life,” he said.
Schmidt also noted agriculture in Western Canada and the Vermilion area is growing rapidly and people are making significant investment into their infrastructure, equipment and land.
“This project will match their growth and position our location to support farmers and ranchers in the County of Vermilion River well into the future,” said Schmidt.
“This new state-of-the-art facility will be comprised of a dry fertilizer storage and handling facility, an office, a certified crop protection warehouse and a workshop.”
Work has been done to identify any issues in relation to traffic volume from this proposed project.
“Over the past year, we have worked very closely with Alberta Transportation to meet all development requirements for the proposed site along Highway 16,” said Schmidt. “A third-party traffic impact assessment (TIA) was conducted and submitted to Alberta Transportation. Based on the TIA findings, the location was approved with traffic volumes well below thresholds.”
He says while the Vermilion location retails anhydrous ammonia (NH3), there’s no plans to move that site.
“The Vermilion Richardson Pioneer location does retail anhydrous ammonia, which is classified as a dangerous good,” said Schmidt, adding their anhydrous ammonia site is located two miles west of Vermilion and 100 metres south of Highway 16 on Range Road 71.
“We have operated safely and effectively at this location for over 30 years and have no plans to relocate the NH3 site to the proposed development on Range Road 62.”
Richardson Pioneer, under Schmidt’s management, has focused on giving back to the community they serve.
“Our business is community focused. We make a point of giving back to the communities we work and live within,” he said.
“This project represents a critical step forward for our business.”
The MDP will return for decision to the August 11 council meeting.
Read more: Big Brothers Big Sisters: the power of showing up
