Success Story: Darrell Elkow

A professional, competitive alternative for farmers

  The trend toward larger farms and farming equipment over the past several years has resulted in an increased need for aeration and natural air drying systems as bins have become larger. This is due in part to time restraints that no longer allow farmers to wait until the crop is totally dry before harvesting and also due to a growing view that aeration and natural air during capabilities is a sort of insurance against crop spoilage.

Darrell Elkow’s expertise is backed by having been raised on a farm in the Two Hills area.  He established his business, Future Farm Systems in September of 1997 to provide farmers in Alberta with options in grain handling systems.

He is a dealer for Caradon, Twister, Behlen, Goebel grain bins, Miller hoppers, Keho and Grain Guard Aeration systems. “The difference between aeration and natural air drying is basically the difference between a desire to maintain constant temperatures and moisture contents throughout a bin (aeration) or a desire to change the moisture content of the grain within a bin (natural air drying). The amounts of air necessary to control temperatures and migrating moisture is only about a tenth of that required to dry damp grain and so the difference between an aeration system and a drying system is largely determined by fan size,” this dealer explains.

Twenty years ago a disability that left Darrell in a wheelchair, has made his pursuit of farming difficult, therefore he decided to stay in the industry by providing the agricultural community an alternative grain handling system.

Here’s an example of what Future Farm Systems can do for you! “Grain bins come in bushel sizes. I will quote any size a farmer needs. If the farmer has for example, 10 bins in a row, a conveyor system or leg handling system which connects to the tops of the bins will provide the efficiency a farm will need. We do all the installation and erection of bins with my team of 4 to 5 subcontractors,” Darrell explains.

“We offer professional service and good delivery times. The busy time for the farmers is in fall, and they want their products yesterday! The average capacity bin is 23,000 to 28,000 bushel range, and our company can have it installed within 7 seven days, barring weather problems.”

“When I decided to market grain handling systems, I did a lot of research with the help of the Lamont-Two Hills Business Development Corporation (BDC). I qualified for the disability program the BDC offered.  The assistance is still available to me. I know I can call them anytime, and they will help me,” Darrell said.

“Industry Canada has provided a special repayable loan fund especially for the entrepreneur with disabilities. Darrell was able to access these funds through our office and with lots of hard work, started his own business,” commented Bernice Sambor General Manager, Lamont-Two Hills Business Development Corporation.

An average sale is approximately $10,000. Presently Future Farm Systems is working on an order in British Columbia worth half a million dollars. Darrell can be seen supervising a given job site, as he likes to stay on top of the installations, ensuring customer satisfaction.

A classified ad in the local newspaper has provided this company with excellent results. “Word of mouth has also paid off big time,” Darrell indicated.

“I guarantee our work and products, and I try to give the best customer service possible, “ he said.

Darrell prefers this type of seasonal work because his disability makes working in winter difficult. “I work hard for three or four months, and manage to survive the winter, making contacts with new customers and touching basis with existing clients,” he concluded.

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