Napierville, April 3, 2023 – Over a hundred people took part in the Annual General Meeting of Uniag Cooperative held on Friday, March 31 at the Auberge des Gallant in Sainte-Marthe. The event was an opportunity for cooperative members to discuss the performance of the past year, elect directors for the positions up for election, and warmly thank the outgoing president for his work over the past nine years, Mr. Sylvain Brault.
Uniag Cooperative’s revenue for the financial year ending October 31, 2022 was $240,339,624, a significant increase of 32% over the previous year. After the presentation of audited financial results, revealing a net profit of over $6 million, members voted for a dividend of $2,560,691, demonstrating their confidence in the cooperative’s financial management.
For Mr. Sylvain Boyer, who joined Uniag as general manager in August, “the cooperative has adapted well in a tumultuous year. The tax imposed on mineral fertilizer imports, increases in the price of fuel and transportation costs, and the challenge of labor have been part of the daily challenges, and managers of each division have had to deal with these issues. In the end, the results were very good.”
During the AGM, Uniag Cooperative also awarded a total of $28,935.38 to four young producer members to support their development and growth as part of their participation in the Cooperative Fund for Agricultural Succession.
At the meeting, four director positions were up for election. Thus, under the supervision of Mr. Simon Baillargeon, election president, Ms. Jenna Soesbergen, Mr. Marc Quesnel, and Mr. Gabriel Van Winden were re-elected. Ms. Alison Brosseau, co-owner of Robert Douglas Kyle inc,. in Sherrington joined the board of directors for the position reserved for the MRC des Jardins-de-Napierville sector.
With emotion, Mr. Sylvain Brault closed the meeting, announcing that it was his last assembly as president of the cooperative. Mr. Brault was thanked for his leadership and dedication to the cooperative. After a sugar shack meal at Sucrerie des Gallant, the official announcement of his successor was made as the board of directors elected Mr. Hugo Landry as president.
“Since its creation, Uniag Cooperative has continued to grow and transform in order to enhance its product and service offerings and meet the needs of its members. More than $15 million has been redistributed to members since its inception, and the excellent financial health of Uniag Cooperative suggests more great years to come!” said outgoing president, Mr. Sylvain Brault.
“The recent successes of Uniag Coopérative demonstrate the strength of our cooperative model. It is very stimulating to be involved. The board of directors wishes to continue to grow our collective heritage,” said Mr. Hugo Landry, the new president of Uniag Coopérative.
To conclude the day, Mr. Frédéric Martineau of Ferme Champagne et frères, named Agricultural Family of the Year in 2022, gave a successful conference on managing change on the farm, allowing cooperative members to better understand current challenges facing farmers and how to overcome them.
Uniag Cooperative is pleased with the results of this AGM and is focused on the future by working to provide superior quality products and services to its members and the agricultural community.
For more information, please contact Lysanne David at Lysanne.David@uniag.coop
