Nominations for the annual CAAR's Choice Awards are closing soon. Don’t miss your chance to shine the spotlight on yourself, your team or a fellow CAAR member by nominating them for an award in one of four categories, including Retailer of the Year.

The CAAR’s Choice Awards recognize the best and brightest of the agri-retail industry. Awards will be presented in February at the CAAR's Choice Awards Banquet during the 2020 CAAR Conference in Saskatoon, Sask. Recipients will receive a $1,000 prize and a complimentary trip to the conference to receive their award in front of their peers.

You can nominate yourself, your retail or a colleague for a CAAR’s Choice Award, but hurry! Nominations close Dec. 6, 2019.

Awards are available in the following categories:

Agronomist of the Year – Sponsored by Simplot
This award recognizes those hardworking agronomists who commit so much time to helping farmers grow the best crop possible, while demonstrating excellent customer service, a commitment to continuing education, and industry/community leadership.

Retailer of the Year – Sponsored by Bayer CropScience Inc.
This award recognizes the team at one member location that goes above and beyond for their customers, and demonstrates business innovation, environmental stewardship and community leadership.

4R Nutrient Stewardship Agri-Retailer Award – Sponsored by Fertilizer Canada
This award recognizes a team at one CAAR member location that has shown leadership in the adoption of 4R Nutrient Stewardship into business practices by becoming a 4R Designated retailer and is proactive in communicating 4R Nutrient Stewardship to their customers and the community.

Retailer Hall of Fame - Sponsored by Glacier Farm Media
This award recognizes an outstanding individual who has made a significant impact on the agri-retail industry, consistently demonstrating exceptional leadership and performance over time.

The CAAR’s Choice Awards are ag retail’s chance to shine! Click here for more information, including downloadable application/nomination forms and a list of past winners.

Ensure completed applications are returned to Lady Gabilo at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Friday, December 6, 2019. If you have any questions about the CAAR’s Choice Awards, or would like to make an application over the phone, contact the CAAR office at 204-989-9304.

Check out last year's CAAR's Choice Award winners!

Retailer of the Year: South Country Co-op (South Country) prides itself on its commitment to creating safe and productive workplaces. The company is known for investing highly in its staff and empowers team members to take ownership and make decisions in the best interests of their fellow employees and their customers. This has paid off enormously for the organization, through staff retention, customer loyalty and, now, winning CAAR’s 2018 Retailer of the Year award.

Agronomist of the Year: Taralea Simpson is a farmer, a mother, an entrepreneur, a passionate “agvocate” and CAAR’s 2018 Agronomist of the Year. Simpson’s well-deserved recognition comes after over two decades on the job as an agronomist for Shur-Gro Farm Services Ltd. 

4R Nutrient Stewardship Agri-Retailer: Nutrien Ag Solutions (Nutrien Ag), a company that has made 4R Nutrient Stewardship an integral part of the service they provide to their grower customers. Nutrien Ag began executing a formal 4R program in 2017 to help producers achieve higher yields with less environmental impact and get them thinking about fertilizer stewardship in a new light.

Retailer Hall of Fame: Wayne Deschouwer, who was taken from family, friends and Manitoba’s agriculture community far too soon when he passed away on Oct. 1, 2018, at the age of 63. In a career that spanned more than three decades, Deschouwer worked for various suppliers including Westco, Agricore, Viterra and, finally, Agrium and was respecetd throughout the industry.

Chairman's Award: Grant Larocque, a long-time board member and ardent association supporter. As board chair from 2014-16, Larocque directed the association’s activities, doing everything in his power to promote a strong, diverse board for the association.

Read about all the award winners and a recap of the 2019 CAAR Conference in the April 2019 CAAR Communicator.