Ashern, Manitoba, August 18, 2005 – The Ashern Daycare Co-op Inc. is benefiting from the Farm Credit Canada (FCC) AgriSpirit Fund with a donation of $10,000.

Through the FCC AgriSpirit Fund, the Ashern Daycare Co-op will provide children with safe, affordable and quality childcare. This centre ensures the children receive freedom from the financial stresses that their parents face by providing a safe child oriented environment that includes hot lunches, healthy snacks and a safe play environment.

“We’re proud to give even more back to rural Canada and to the community of Ashern where our customers and employees live and work,” says FCC District Manager, Roland Kirouac. “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 Manitoba a great place to live.”

"The Ashern Daycare was very excited to discover that they were the recipients of $10,000 from FCC towards the construction of a new facility", said Maria Warrener, Director, Ashern Daycare Co-op Inc.  "The daycare will serve three rural municipalities, and will be able to provide care for infants, pre-school and school-aged children.  BSE and adverse weather conditions have put a tremendous amount of stress upon the farm families in our area and our daycare provides a safe place for children to come and to forget about these issues.  The funds have been a moral boost for our organization as we continue with our fundraising efforts for this large 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 and $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:

Roland Kirouac
Farm Credit Canada
District Manager
(204) 346-6362

Nadine Hakim
Farm Credit Canada (Bilingual)
Corporate Communications
(306) 780-8572