The Rocky Mountain Equipment (RME) Right by You Ag Society Grant program is back for its sixth year, providing funding for agricultural societies across the Prairies.

 This year, RME is proud to support four more ag societies with $10,000 grants to put toward new equipment for their communities: the Bonanza & District Agricultural Society, Stettler District Ag Society, the Melville & District Agri-Park Association and the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba.  

 Run largely by local volunteers, agricultural societies are the backbone of rural communities – hosting events, delivering educational programs and maintaining gathering spaces that residents rely on throughout the year.

 In Northern Alberta, the Bonanza & District Agricultural Society is putting its grant toward a Case IH Farmall tractor, which will be paired with gyro mower and tiller attachments.

 Along with $8,000 in additional funding the society has secured, the new tractor means volunteers will no longer need to borrow equipment to look after the fairgrounds, arenas and local cemetery grounds.

 “We’ve always relied on the community, phoning around to borrow whatever equipment we needed to keep everything maintained,” says Leanna Shore with the Bonanza Ag Society. “Having our own tractor makes us a lot more self-reliant – so we can handle so many of these jobs ourselves now.”

 The Stettler District Ag Society in Central Alberta will be using its grant toward a new Kawasaki side-by-side to improve safety and efficiency around its community facility. The side-by-side will help shuttle visitors, seniors and people with mobility issues across the grounds during big events like the Stettler County Fair and Rodeo. It will even be put to work towing a mechanical cow for roping clinics and events.

 “This is going to make it so much easier to get people where they need to go at the fair, especially folks who have a harder time getting around,” says Alana Weaver with the Stettler District Ag Society. “And the more clinics, camps and events we can successfully put on, the more money we can put back into our community.”

 In Saskatchewan, the Melville & District Agri-Park Association will be putting its grant toward a brand-new Ferris IS600-52C Zero Turn Mower to help maintain its grounds, which host everything from horse racing and livestock shows to weddings and other community events throughout the year.

 “We lean on our volunteers to keep everything clean and looking good, so having a commercial mower is going to make a big difference,” says Jessica Prieb with the Melville & District Agri-Park Association. “It’ll help us keep the Agri-Park grounds looking great and make them even more welcoming for our visitors.”

 In Manitoba, the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba in Brandon is using its grant toward a utility side-by-side to move equipment, volunteers and visitors with mobility challenges across its 540,000-square-foot site.

 From hauling horse show jumps, hay bales, sand and straw to getting judges from one end of the facility to the other during livestock events, the side-by-side will be kept busy.

 “We’re the largest indoor ag exhibition space in the world, so there’s a lot of ground to cover,” says Angela Pearon, with the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba. “Having this side-by-side will help make every part of our facility that much more accessible to everyone.”

 We congratulate all of this year’s recipients and look forward to seeing their new equipment hard at work in their communities. We also thank every agricultural society that applied earlier this year.

 Does your local ag society have an upcoming project that could use a boost?

 Visit our website to check when 2027 RME Right by You Ag Society Grant applications open up in the spring and follow us on X @RMEHQ for more updates.