Recognized as one of Alberta's Top Employers (2025):

By Richard Yerema and Kristina Leung, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Jan 27, 2025)

Here are some of the reasons why UFA Co-operative Limited was selected as one of Alberta's Top Employers (2025):

UFA Co-operative made recent enhancements to its benefits plan, increasing mental health coverage to $2,500 per year and expanding coverage to include family therapists, clinical counsellors and psychotherapists -- the organization also expanded the categories of coverage for its wellness spending account to include pet care, household services and education, to name a few examples
UFA Co-operative maintains a flex days policy, providing eligible employees with the ability to take occasional paid days off to attend personal appointments, recreational activities or to spend time with friends and family -- employees are entitled to 17 flex days per year (one day per month and five additional days around the winter holiday season)
UFA Co-operative offers employees a unique competitive advantage of up to 30 per cent off in-store purchases, as well as discounted vehicle fuel purchases at over 100 Cardlock fuel depots across Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan

UFA Co-operative frontline team members (Photo credit: Fritz Tolentino)

Highlights

Industry	Farm supplies merchant wholesalers
Established in Canada	1909
Major Canadian locations	Yorkton SK, Weyburn SK, Kindersley SK, Macklin SK, Dawson Creek BC, Fort St. John BC, Fort Saskatchewan AB, Fairview AB, Airdrie AB, Athabasca AB, Calgary AB, Drayton Valley AB, Edmonton AB, Falher AB, Grande Prairie AB, Grimshaw AB, Lethbridge AB, Mayerthorpe AB, Nanton AB, Olds AB, Oyen AB, Pincher Creek AB, Ponoka AB, Stettler AB, Strathmore AB, Vermilion AB, Swift Current SK, Brooks AB, Claresholm AB, Consort AB, Hanna AB, High River AB, La Crête AB, Leduc AB, Medicine Hat AB, Provost AB, Red Deer AB, Spruce Grove AB, St. Paul AB, Taber AB, Two Hills AB, Vulcan AB, Westlock AB, Camrose AB, Trochu AB
Full-time employees in Canada	861
Part-time employees in Canada	195
Average age of employees in Canada	45 years
Longest serving employee	46 years
Benefits note	UFA Co-operative Limited has multiple employee groups, the following programs and policies may vary by position
Flexible work options	hybrid work option, flexible work hours, telecommuting
Long-term savings	defined-contribution (DC) pension
Health plan premium	as part of the health plan, the employer pays up to 100% of the premiums
Health spending account	up to $750 each year
Wellness spending account	up to $250 each year
Mental health practitioner benefit	up to $2,500 each year
Maternity top-up (mothers)	up to 100% of salary for 4 weeks
Parental top-up (mothers)	up to 80% of salary for 2 weeks
Parental top-up (fathers)	up to 80% of salary for 2 weeks
Vacation allowance	new employees receive 2 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job
Outside survey period	outside consultant surveys are held every 12 months
Employee performance reviews	employees receive individual performance reviews every 6 months
In-house training initiatives	apprenticeship/skilled trades programs, in-house training, online training, mentoring, leadership development programs, paid internships
Related tuition subsidies	employer covers up to 100% of tuition per year
Employee charitable involvement	employees are involved in selection of charities, employees receive paid time off to volunteer

Alan Liu, technical support analyst at UFA, maintains cardlock machines and card readers across the UFA network

Field tours offer new employees a chance to experience first-hand the day-to-day activities of the producers and customers UFA supports across Western Canada

The card readers across the UFA network undergoes testing at a lab in the Calgary office

UFA plants success with support and flexibility

When Alan Liu was hired in an IT support role as a student intern at UFA Co-operative Ltd., he worried that he was in over his head and wouldn’t be able to provide the expertise needed to help his fellow employees with their computer and technical issues. Luckily, the support person was given his own support.

“My supervisor assigned me a mentor that I bombarded with questions about how things worked and what the procedures and protocols were,” Liu says. “That went on for a few months until I finally felt I could confidently take a ticket, investigate it and know how to solve it. And then I started to be the one people asked for advice, which felt amazing.”

Jennifer Beatty is senior director of human resources at the Calgary-based co-operative, which supports agricultural producers, commercial customers and other related rural businesses in Western Canada. She points to a suite of employee development programs for both new employees and potential leaders that involve mentorships and formal training.

“Our employee value proposition states that we help each other grow,” she says. “We’re actively expanding our business, and as the organization grows, we want our employees to grow with it, and that could be through innovations, special projects, career development or skills development.”

UFA’s new hire orientation is held in person for people working in the office and online for those working in remote locations. “We also have a popular component where people from the office go out and spend the day visiting various field locations and customers to better understand their business and learn about our cooperative,” Beatty says.

It’s something that Liu, now a technical support analyst for UFA’s cardlock machines, which allow for fuel transactions across the UFA network, has been able to take part in.

“We took a group of people from our head office out on a tour bus to see how things work in the field,” he says. “We visited a cardlock site and saw our impact, how our actions directly support the cardlock and the farm store. That was an eye-opening experience, and worth so much more than any kind of instruction.”

Liu also appreciates the company’s health and wellness offerings. “UFA actually cares about work-life success,” he says. “We can pick a day to take off once a month on top of our vacation, which is amazing. And there’s an amount that we can write off towards purchasing health or fitness equipment, like a smart watch to track my exercise.”

There’s also a $2,500 benefits bundle specifically for mental health and well-being options, a scholarship program for students, a diversity, inclusion and belonging focus and an active social club.

“We want people to be successful in both areas of their lives—at work and at home,” says Beatty. “So, we offer a certain amount of flexibility at work, and policies and programs that support people’s personal lives. We want everybody to be able to be themselves and bring their best selves to work so they can live up to their full potential.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Alberta’s Top Employers winners, published January 28, 2025 in the Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

The Career Directory

UFA Co-operative Limited has been selected for The Career Directory, our guide to entry-level recruitment for recent college and university graduates.

UFA Co-operative employees

Highlights for New Grads

Industry	Farm supplies merchant wholesalers
Full-time employees in Canada	751 to 1,000
Major Canadian locations	Yorkton SK, Weyburn SK, Kindersley SK, Macklin SK, Dawson Creek BC, Fort St. John BC, Fort Saskatchewan AB, Fairview AB, Airdrie AB, Athabasca AB, Calgary AB, Drayton Valley AB, Edmonton AB, Falher AB, Grande Prairie AB, Grimshaw AB, Lethbridge AB, Mayerthorpe AB, Nanton AB, Olds AB, Oyen AB, Pincher Creek AB, Ponoka AB, Stettler AB, Strathmore AB, Vermilion AB, Swift Current SK, Brooks AB, Claresholm AB, Consort AB, Hanna AB, High River AB, La Crête AB, Leduc AB, Medicine Hat AB, Provost AB, Red Deer AB, Spruce Grove AB, St. Paul AB, Taber AB, Two Hills AB, Vulcan AB, Westlock AB, Camrose AB, Trochu AB
Student opportunities	summer jobs, co-op opportunities
Training	subsidies for professional accreditation, orientation program, online training, in-house training, mentoring, in-house career planning services, leadership training
Tuition subsidies (related to job)	yes
Typical new grad positions	Customer Account Manager 1 (Sales), Procurement Coordinator, Marketing Coordinator, Customer Engagement Representative, Support Services Representative, End User Support, Financial Analyst (New Grad Rotation Program), Field Sales Representative, Reporting Analyst, Accounts Payable Analyst, HR Administrator
Starting salary	$50K to $60K
Work benefits	health benefits for new employees, flexible work hours, telecommuting, employees receive paid time off to volunteer
Vacation allowance	new employees receive 2 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job

Academic fields recruited

Bachelor of Commerce / Business Administration
- Accounting
- Finance
- Human Resources
- Information Systems
- Marketing
Bachelor of Science
- Agriculture / Horticulture
- Computer Science
Community College Diploma
- Agriculture / Horticulture
- Information Technology
Professional Accreditation
- Accounting (CA)
- Accounting (CMA)
- Human Resources (CHRP, CEBS)
- Microsoft Certifications
- Purchasing Management (PMAC, CPP)
Secondary Education
- High School Diploma

Recruits at these schools

Lakeland College

Lethbridge College

MacEwan University

Mount Royal University

Northwest Polytechnic

Olds College

Red Deer College

Southern Alberta Institute of Technology

University of Alberta

University of Calgary

University of Lethbridge

University of Regina

University of Saskatchewan

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