Retailer Spotlight: Prairie Giants Crop Supply - A Homegrown Legacy Rooted in Community

“A salute to Inglis.”

Prairie Giants Crop Supply may be a modern independent ag retail, but its roots run deep. Reaching back to Glenn and Terry Jackson of Jackson Seeds back in the mid 1980’s, Prairie Giants began as a small local seed operation and has grown into a community anchored business driven by dedication, service, and a heartfelt commitment to Prairie agriculture.
 

How It All Began

The story starts with Doug and Shelly Kurtenbach, long before Prairie Giants carried its now iconic elevator inspired name. Both worked for Jackson Seeds, with Shelley in the office and Doug in the field. Life took them away from the area from the mid 90’s until 2011. As tends to happen when you least expect it, a chance encounter changed everything. Upon returning to Inglis for the summer, they ran into the Jackson’s who mentioned they were interested in transitioning the business. Doug and Shelly, who loved the idea of coming back home and building something of their own, stepped up and purchased additional land to allow for the creation of a new office and warehouse.


 
“The community was very supportive and they wanted us here. We really liked the community of Inglis,” shares Doug. In 2013 Prairie Giants was born—a return home, a new vision, and a continuation of a legacy the community already knew and trusted.
 

Prairie Giants Grows

Doug and Shelly started Prairie Giants themselves—just two people with deep ag roots and big ambitions. Today, the retail has grown to also include three agronomists, six full-time employees, and several seasonal summer students.  As a one location retail they remain intentionally independent focusing on crop protection, seed, and services tailored to what their local growers need most. An additional partnership with a local seed grower allows them to retail bulk seed, offer mobile onsite seed treating, crop scouting, and delivery services.
 
 “Our goal is to look for opportunities that make it easier for our customers to do business,” shares Doug. “What this means is when they need an aerial fungicide application, we will coordinate the logistics and mapping with a local aerial operator and ensure the product is there on time.” Through this commitment to customer service Prairie Giants has built a thriving customer base in South-West Manitoba.
 

What’s in a Name?

The Prairie Giants name carries deep local significance. “Inglis has five original grain elevators from the 1920’s that are a National Historic site. I had worked in one of these elevators for many years. The elevators are nicknamed ‘the Prairie Giants’ so that became the inspiration,” says Doug. Their Sales Agronomist, Taylor Kurtenbach describes it perfectly as “a salute to Inglis”. The company logo incorporates the elevators as the A’s in their name, a recognizable nod to the region’s agricultural identity.
 

Impact on the Community

From the start, Prairie Giants focused on continuity and trust. When the transition from Jackson Seeds was announced, the Jacksons made it clear that the retail was continuing—still independent, still local, and still community centric‑. Prairie Giants has since become deeply woven into local life by donating and sponsoring community events, supporting local community boards (including the Anglican District Community Club where Taylor is an active member), and volunteering time and skills multiple local organizations. Additionally, Prairie Giants supports two annual scholarships that honour important community members lost too soon: the Brian Moshondz Memorial Scholarship, a young farmer who worked with Jackson Seeds, and the Wade Eftoda Memorial Scholarship. These awards help support young people pursuing further education.
 

Employee Spotlight: Taylor Kurtenbach, Sales Agronomist

Taylor has worked with Prairie Giants for six years—though her connection to agriculture runs deeper. After initially enrolling in postsecondary at the University of Saskatchewan pursuing Arts & Science, a summer job at Prairie Giants changed everything.
 
“I fell in love with ag. By August I had enrolled in Ag & Bioresources at the U of S and never looked back” says Taylor fondly. Like many agronomists, her passion for the job is obvious when she speaks about her favourite parts of the role. “I love collaborating with farmers. Even though I only play a small part in their operation, I enjoy having a part in helping them have a successful season through offering deliveries and field scouting”.
 
Everyone who works in ag understands the need to compress many hours into a day once the seeding season starts. Prairie Giants goes the extra mile for their customers, not setting hours during this hectic time – they’ll be there when you need them.
 
“This is the biggest challenge of my role, but it is always worth it. We want to be the retail that has the best service around,” Taylor says.
 
Having been in this role for six years full-time, and two summers part-time, Taylor has had a lot of time to learn. “The main lessons I’ve learned is that it’s ok not to know everything. Surround yourself with smart people and ask for help when you need it – you can always find the answer a farmer needs,” shares Taylor.
 
With Taylor’s path being a winding road to get into the agronomy life at an independent ag retail, she has some advice for young people considering a career in agriculture -“Do it! Agriculture has so many different career opportunities. Try different fields and see what you love – it’s a great industry to be part of”.
 

Looking Ahead

The Prairie Giants team remains focused on delivering exceptional service, supporting growers, and being a retail rooted in integrity and availability. Their vision is simple: keep farmers successful to keep their community strong. “We want farmers to be successful, and we are here to help in any way we can”, says Taylor.