“Live by the Sheaf” is a core part of our brand at Prairie Insurance. Not just because it is our logo, but because of what it represents. When we think of the sheaf, we often think about the open wheat fields and our farmers. Being a small town business in Saskatchewan, our employees, clients and family have most likely either grown up on a farm or currently live on the farm.
So what does the sheaf represent?
Now this may be interpreted differently by everyone, but for us, it represents the inspiring culture of the prairies. It represents the great qualities of hard work, family, sacrifice, being a good neighbour and lending a hand without expecting anything in return. This isn’t limited to just farmers, this represents the humility that everyone in our prairie provinces represent. We are a selfless society that wants our neighbors to succeed. We understand that hardships can occur in any family or business and we want to be there for them and help them during those tough times.
As the world continues to speed up and evolve with technology some of these great qualities have started to diminish. We are getting lost in the tech bubble and are being sucked into our phones and those personal relationships have become a rarity. That is why we are trying to embrace these values and continue the tradition of hard work, selflessness and empathy.
What is the sheaf’s value? And how does that translate to what an insurance broker’s value is?
In 2014, Saskatchewan was responsible for 65 percent of the world’s lentil exports, 55 percent of the world’s pea exports, 21 percent of the world’s canola seed exports and 17 percent of the world’s canola oil exports. In 2016, Saskatchewan produced 11.8 million acres of wheat. Canada is the largest global exporter of Canola and Saskatchewan accounted for over 53% of the Canadian Canola area in 2016.
Those are some serious numbers and we still maintain a humble attitude in Saskatchewan. We continue to keep our heads down and work hard and I believe that attitude is why Saskatchewan is known for the friendliest and most enjoyable places to live.
To continue running any business in this world, you need to embrace technology. No matter what type of business: Farming, oil, potash, trucking, construction, we have to evolve to keep up. That being said, we want to embody personal relationships first and use technology as tools for our business efficiency. We believe that people are what drives business, especially in the insurance world, and it is built entirely on trust. We want to have a strong relationship with our customers and our communities. We want to support the local hockey teams and ball teams. We want to have coffee at your dinner table and discuss current events and your insurance needs. But mostly, if a claim occurs, we want you to know that we have your back and will be with you every step of the way. That is what the Sheaf represents to us.
That being said, harvest has officially begun in the prairies. It is exciting to see the combines, swathers and trucks in the field. This is the time where the farmers reap the rewards of all their hard work and sacrifice over the months. All the time spent researching the varieties of seed, chemical & fertilizer. All the time fixing the equipment and studying soil samples. All the work marketing the grain, locally and globally. This is the time where they get to experience the joy as they bring in that amazing crop everyone has been so proud of. As a province and nation, we should be proud to be a part of that. Farmers feed the world. We are #PrairieProud.