Page 33 - Westman Business 2017

OCTOBER 2017 • WESTMAN BUSINESS • THE BRANDON SUN 33

Clarence van den Ham straight-cuts canola near the Trans-Canada Highway. (Charles Tweed/The Brandon Sun)

Rural Westman and Brandon have symbiotic relationship

Mazer used the 2015 fiscal year as an example. That year will fully recover the lost sales, he says in general, "we’re most people don’t realize just how much the agricultural
the implement sales industry took what he called a massive looking at a reasonable 2018." industry touches all aspects of business in the community.
nosedive. “Anytime agriculture does well through good crops or “I had spoken with a friend yesterday that’s in the deal-
“The dollar dropped like a rock,” Mazer said. “And really good prices or a combination of the two, it has a massive ership business with cars. And he said, as soon as harvest is
all of our equipment is priced ... in U.S. dollars. And so our effect on the economy of Manitoba,” Mazer said. “I think done, my business picks up. So there’s a direct impact right
combines went up $100,000. And so it sent shockwaves agriculture is in the 25-30 per cent of the Manitoba GDP. there,” Clements told the Sun yesterday. “Any positive to
throughout the system. (That year) we saw upwards of a 30 If agriculture is good, it’s going to have pretty much a the ag biz is felt here in Brandon. When there’s a bad year
per cent drop in new volumes in the industry, and 2016 was trickle down effect in just about everything — construction, we all feel it. We definitely follow the trend of their success,
around the 15 per cent mark. Between the two, the volumes merchandising, retail. It has an effect. Particularly in some I think, from my business point.”
dropped dramatically.” locations like Brandon.”
But this year’s crop has Mazer optimistic, with the drop NetSet Communications partner and Brandon Chamber » mgoerzen@brandonsun.com
in sales having levelled off. And while he’s not sure they of Commerce president Tami-Rae Rourke Clements says » Twitter: @MattGoerzen

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