Layne applied for a job at Dauphin Co-op to make some extra money while in high school.  He has been a member of our Team ever since and has been the recipient of the CRS Excellence in Ag Scholarship. This program is available for Co-op student employees planning to pursue a career in agriculture, to further their education and gain valuable skills during the summer. Learn more about Layne's Co-op experience:

How long have you been working for Co-op?
I started in October, 2020, as a part time grocery clerk while in high school and continued working as a grocery clerk during reading weeks, Christmas and summer breaks when I entered the University of Manitoba in fall of 2021. In the spring of 2024, I received the CRS Excellence in Ag Scholarship for studies of Agricultural sciences with a major in Agronomy and transferred to the Ste Rose Agro location for the summer.

As I go back to school this fall, I'll be coming back for as many weekends as I can to help my team during the fall fertilizer and soil testing rush.

What are some of your takeaways from working at the Dauphin Co-op?
Working with the Co-op is a family endeavour, when I started as a grocery clerk in Dauphin, both of my siblings had been and were working for Dauphin Consumers Co-op. This only further instilled the “You’re at home here” motto as I both worked with family, and built strong relationships with my coworkers.
Co-op truly cares about their employees and community, and believes strongly in investing in people's future, just as they have greatly invested in mine.
You're more than just an employee to the Co-op, there is a strong mutual respect between employer and employee and both sides bring levels of skill and education, just as I believe my education will greatly assist our Co-op in effectively supporting
our communities and ambitions.

I am most proud of the fact that both Dauphin Co-op and Federated have selected me as one of the scholarship program recipients and that my past efforts working for Co-op have not gone unnoticed. It’s a proud feeling when you know you're believed in and supported by an entity as large as Co-op.

How has the CRS Scholarship affected you?
There are two large aspects of the scholarship I feel I have been most affected by. As a university student having to leave home and live in Winnipeg for schooling, the CRS Scholarship has greatly relieved my financial burdens as I pay my way through university.
Secondly, the CRS Scholarship Program provides more than just funding for school. It offers tailored learning at every location of Co-op, and career fast tracking. I understand that I have a stable career here with Co-op, and I will have the opportunity to return as a full time Agronomist and assist my coworkers and the community that I grew up in.

If you can impart advice or insights to others, what would it be?

Co-op has so many opportunities. As an employee of Dauphin Co-op, new or seasoned, you may not notice all the available opportunities in front of you. Take the chance to improve yourself with the help that Co-op wants to so readily give you.

Your coworkers make you who you are. Just as they help to shape you as a person, make sure you impart the same great values and attitudes on them.  Ask as many questions as you can, the knowledge we hold as individuals is small relative to the knowledge we hold as a community. Never forget you're at home here!

We are so proud to have Layne on our Team and excited about his future as he pursues a career in agriculture. His passion for the industry and dedication to learning have earned him this incredible opportunity. We look forward to all the great things he will achieve in his future.

Excellence in Ag Program