Grainswest - Spring 2026

Spring 2026 Grains West 28 When Quattro became Cinco with the partnership of a potato farm, this introduced a new crop to its roster, which tested the strength of the group’s collaborative culture. Ultimately, the move strengthened the operation by expanding acres, further diversifying its crop lineup and increasing efficiency. “We’ve always been good at problem solving as a group,” said Van Tryp. “We’re able to take emotion out of decisions and look at issues from each other’s perspectives.” COLLABORATION OPPORTUNITIES Quattro Ventures has partnered with additional area farmers to diversify and create shared business opportunities. Longtime collaborator Cory Nelson has closely followed Quattro’s growth. “They’ve had some great success “In my experience, there’s more success to be found working together than apart” —Cory Nelson and are well respected as a high end, high quality producer,” said Nelson. “Quattro is a large employer in our area and a great champion of our agricultural community.” In 2017, Nelson and other members of the Palliser Triangle Marketing Club partnered with Quattro to create Forty Mile Pollinators, a leafcutter bee pollination service. Nelson again partnered with Quattro in 2022 to launch Forty Mile Turf Seed. “In my experience, there’s more success to be found working together than apart,” he said. “I like to collaborate with people who want to specialize and who look for opportunities like I do, and Quattro Ventures makes a great partner.” NEXT GENERATION LEADERSHIP In 2025, for the first time, Quattro appointed a board chair from outside the business. The organization has also transitioned several board positions from founders to next generation family members. Van Tryp takes pride in this recognition that younger voices, new ideas and ways of thinking should be encouraged. As with all farms, succession must be addressed. “We’ve built this farm to continue as long as the founding families want to continue, so we are managing a farm transition [for the entire Quattro operation], too,” said Van Tryp. He added that despite Quattro’s joint venture structure, the process mirrors that of standard farm operations. “We know Quattro will look different, but that’s exciting, and we’ve got some great people on board with us.” RESILIENT BY DESIGN Its co-operative approach sets Quattro apart in a sector where collaboration can be as valuable as capital. “I don’t know why more farmers aren’t working more co-operatively,” said Van Tryp. “Any group of farmers can do this. There’s no magic, it’s a matter of individuals being willing to work together and stay in their lane to make it happen.” The spice of life The Quattro Ventures cropmix includes 70 to 75 per cent specialty and con- tract crops, depending on the year. Its wide rotation includes barley, catnip, coriander, dry edible beans (cranberry, great northern, large red kidney, red and yellow), hybrid fall rye, hybrid seed canola, lentils (red and green), oats, pedigreed hemp, pedigreedwheat (durum and spring, winter), peppermint, pota- toes, ryegrass, spearmint, sugar beets, tall fescue and yellowpeas. Joint venture or co-operative? Quattro Ventures operates as a joint venture, a flexible partnership that allowsmultiple farms towork together while remaining separate entities. Each tends to its own taxes and legal obliga- tions, which is ideal for collaboration without the necessity of long-term commitment. This differs froma co-operative, in which farmers formamember-owned, democratically controlled business. Profits are shared through patronage refunds. Co-operatives are best suited for joint marketing, bulk purchasing, shared services and building long-term market strength. “Joint ventures give farms flexibility and control, while co-ops provide scale, shared risk and stronger bargaining power,” said BruceWarkentin, national leader of horticulture and irrigation withMNP. Quattro’s approach demonstrates a joint venture can enablemultiple farms to combine resources, expertise and vision yet maintain independence. FEATURE