Weyburn, Saskatchewan, July 21, 2005 –  The Weyburn Agricultural Society is benefiting from the Farm Credit Canada (FCC) AgriSpirit Fund with a donation of $5,000.

Though the FCC AgriSpirit Fund, The Weyburn Agricultural Society received funding towards the Grandstand Project. The Weyburn Agriculture Society is building a permanent steel structure complete with a roof that will accommodate approximately 1,000 people with portable bleachers that will seat an additional 800 spectators. This revitalization of the stands will in turn provide economic benefits and great venue for entertainment to the community.

“We’re proud to give even more back to rural Canada and to Weyburn where our customers and employees live and work,” says Marianne Skolnik Robillard, FCC account manager. “The enthusiasm of Canadians is evident in the projects that are being created in our rural communities. It’s that spirit and passion that makes Saskatchewan a great place to live.”

“On behalf of the Weyburn Agricultural Society we wish to thank the FCC AgriSpirit Fund for their generous donation of $5,000 towards our grandstand fund,” said Richard Tollefson, president of the Weyburn Agricultural Society. “It's people and businesses such as FCC that are the heart and strength of our community and with this donation we are that much closer to completing our grandstand project.”

From the 489 applications received this past winter, FCC selected 38 projects from across Canada.

In November 2004, FCC announced the AgriSpirit Fund. This Fund awarded $400,000 towards capital projects for rural communities with populations under 100,000. These projects will receive between $5,000 to $25,000 to create or enhance facilities in their community. A significant amount of time and consideration went into each evaluation including how the project would make a difference in the community.

The FCC AgriSpirit Fund will continue for a second year. Details regarding the eligibility criteria and application process will be posted this fall through the FCC website at www.fcc-fac.ca.

Operating out of 100 offices located primarily in rural Canada, FCC employees are passionate about the business of agriculture. FCC's healthy portfolio of more than $11 billion and 12 consecutive years of portfolio growth are a reflection of our customers' success.

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For more information, please contact:

Marianne Skolnik Robillard
Farm Credit Canada
Account Manager
(306) 842-3559

Nadine Hakim
Financement agricole Canada (Bilingual)
Communications d’entreprise
(306) 780-8572