Colombo brings its first SP bean combine to Canada

Sep 27, 2023

Growers want their crops harvested in the best possible condition, and for edible beans especially, that means careful threshing to avoid shattering or cracking, both of which can significantly reduce value.

“Quality is huge,” says Frank Unger, a salesperson at genAG equipment in Winkler, Man., which sells and services Colombo brand bean harvesters from Brazil.

“An edible bean cannot be cracked or blemished. The end buyer wants good quality. A broken or cracked bean turns into jelly in the can.”

Having the right harvester can make the difference.

One of Unger’s customers, the Blumengart Colony near Plum Coulee, Man., has become the first Canadian grower to take delivery of a new Colombo Avanti self-propelled bean combine. Until now, only the company’s pull-type harvesters were sold in Canada.

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Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.