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By Jeremy Simes • PHOTOGRAPHY BY TWITCHY FINGER PHOTOGRAPHY
Young entrepreneur knew lifewould be good back on the Prairies
Advancingthe
grain-sellinggame
It made sense for Brennan Turner to leave the urban jungle of New York and plant himself back in
the Prairies.
Originally from Foam Lake, SK, Turner has skated on NHL ice, suited it up on Wall Street and put in long hours during harvest.
Once the Canadian Wheat Board was dismantled, Turner saw a beaming opportunity to start FarmLead, a Saskatoon-based online
grain marketing service. It’s a website where farmers can post new deals from the tractor, and where buyers can scope the many varie-
ties that sellers have to offer.
With his degree in economics from Yale University combined with relevant job experience, Turner understands the grain mar-
ket. But make no mistake, his life is about more than just punching the clock. As the director of the Mandi Schwartz Foundation, a
non-profit that increases bone marrow donor awareness and registration, Turner’s mission is to save lives by finding perfect matches
between donors and patients. As an entrepreneur, his passion and work ethic come from values he learned growing up in a community
firmly entrenched in agriculture.
GrainsWest:
You went from living in a
community rooted in farming, to play-
ing hockey, to big-city living, and now
you’re back in the farming community.
What made you want to go back to your
roots?
Turner:
My family has been farming since
the early 1900s. I never grew up on it, but
I was always around it. I liked spending
summers at the cabin and on the combine
during harvest. You develop an apprecia-
tion for it. The saying ‘hard work pays off’
ultimately shaped me.
GW:
Talk about your passion for the
things you’re involved in.
Turner:
Maybe it’s being around the farm-
ing community that makes me want to get
involved with things—you know, when
your neighbour isn’t done harvest but you
are, so you help them out. I’ve learned in
the very few years I’ve lived that it’s better
to give than to take. Even though I’ve been
in the NHL and went to an Ivy League
university, I think using those tools and
the skill set I’ve got should be applied
to what I do now. Both agriculture and
hockey are hard work, and you have to
work hard to achieve your goals, but also
change your goals and adapt. If there’s a
way to do it better, I’ll do it better.
GW:
Is there common ground between
playing hockey and working in agricul-
ture?
Turner:
I think it’s the team attitude you
have in hockey that’s similar to agricul-
ture. I was never a hotshot player. Making
a brilliant pass was more important to me,
rather than scoring a goal.
It’s about understanding what you are
doing and developing. I was able to get a
scholarship to Notre Dame in my Grade 12
year. But it took a lot to get there—I would
sometimes practise by myself at 7 a.m.
and then again at 8 p.m. Sometimes, I’m
taking customer calls at 6 a.m. and then
as late as 11 p.m.
GW:
How did working on Wall Street
differ from what you do now?
Turner:
Well, I don’t have to wear a suit
and tie to work every day. I worked with
commodity markets—grain, oil and so on.
With my degree in economics, I applied
what I learned from the textbook: supply
and demand. There’s a lot of great people
in finance, but a lot more people willing
to give you the shirt off their back in the
farming industry.
GW:
Why did you start FarmLead, and
why is it important to you?
Turner:
I started FarmLead because we
were looking for better ways producers can
sell their grain. Clearly, we’ve made some
progress in the market. Now, we have more
than 1,700 registered accounts since start-
ing 25 months ago. It’s important because it
lets buyers have more options and a greater
selection of grain to choose from, and it lets
sellers have more options when comparing
buyers.
Winter
2015
grainswest.com
17