Picture Butte business signs naming partnership in new Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre

Posted on August 17, 2023 by Sunny South News

By Erika Mathieu
Sunny South News

Picture Butte based agriculture company, K3 Seeds, has entered into a five year naming commitment in the brand new Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre in Lethbridge in one of the building’s four 1000 square foot meeting rooms, directly off of the lobby in the MNP Meeting Centre.

The partnership will bring visibility to the proudly local K3 Seeds and help bring local agriculture ventures to the forefront of the new building which held its grand opening on Aug. 10.

In an Aug. 8 release issued by Lethbridge & District Exhibition, K3 CEO Leighton Kolk said K3 Seeds is excited about the naming partnership with Lethbridge & District Exhibition and sees it as a valuable opportunity to invest in a space designed to elevate and further position Lethbridge and surrounding area as a global leader in agricultural production and innovation.

“Lethbridge is the heart of intensive irrigation, livestock, and agricultural production. We adopt many state-of-the-art practices and technologies in our agricultural operations, and so we see it as fitting to embrace this state-of-the-art, agriculture-focused facility.”

Named the K3 Meeting Suite, the space was designed with a flexible configuration to accommodate small meetings and brainstorming sessions in the new Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre operated by Lethbridge & District Exhibition. The building utilizes smart and savvy design and features integrated, state-of-the-art technology, making for a seamless convention and event space, “which is focused on shining a spotlight on the region’s unique agriculture community and growing investment in southern Alberta,” reads the release.

The agreement between K3 Seed’s support and the Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre represents buy-in from the local agriculture community, and hopes the new Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre helps cement the region as the national and international premiere destination for ag-related activity.

Kolk said K3 Seeds, “look(s) forward to partnering on this great investment in Lethbridge’s strong agriculture-focused foundation and foresee that by working together we will make the Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre a national and international drawing card to southern Alberta.”

Lethbridge & District Exhibition CEO, Mark Warkentin said he appreciates K3’s support of the vision for the new facility which has been constructed to, “showcase the unique nature of this region’s agriculture sector,” and added, “having an innovative, community-focused company like K3 Seeds in the area is a key part of that infrastructure.”

“To have K3 Seeds, who are involved in the heart of the agriculture industry, be excited about what we (are) working towards with the Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre, and want to be a part of it is heartening,” said Warkentin in the release.

In addition to the recently-announced partnership with the Lethbridge & District Exhibition, K3 also contributes to charitable causes such as the Picture Butte Food Grains growing project and other charitable events and BBQs, while K3 team members donate their time to various community groups and agriculture boards.

A customer-focused venture of Kolk Farms, K3 Seeds is a certified seed retailer focused on expertise, quality genetics, and customer service. The company also operates a seed cleaning plant.

The Agri-food Hub and Trade Centre is expected to add over $90 million each year to the regional economy, once the facility is fully operational.

The Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre held its long-awaited grand-opening in Lethbridge on Aug. 10, 2023.