About Us & Our History | Setterington's Fertilizer

Setterington’s Fertilizer
Service Ltd.

Our history dates back in the 1930s as your preferred fertilizer provider, and continues today with even more products and services.

Setterington's employee talking to customer at Setterington's location

Setterington’s Fertilizer
Service Ltd.

Our history dates back in the 1930s as your preferred fertilizer provider, and continues today with even more products and services.

Setterington’s Mission

Our mission is to be the supplier of choice for your crop production products and services.

Our history

Make our customers more successful -Supply Quality products and services
Be responsible stewards of the environment
Protect the safety of our customers, employees,
and the public
Maintain the highest ethical standards
Develop superior skills and achieve the full potential of our employees
Provide an excellent return to our investors

Setterington’s Mission

Our mission is to be the supplier of choice for your crop production products and services.

Our history

Make our customers more successful -Supply Quality products and services
Be responsible stewards of the environment
Protect the safety of our customers, employees,
and the public
Maintain the highest ethical standards
Develop superior skills and achieve the full potential of our employees
Provide an excellent return to our investors

Setterington’s at a glance

1932-1963: Setterington’s Fertilizer Service Ltd.
1963-1990: Setterington’s Fertilizer Service Ltd. Joint-venture with CIL
1991-1992: Setterington’s Fertilizer Service Ltd. Joint-venture with ICI
1993-1999: Setterington’s Fertilizer Service Ltd. Joint-venture with Terra International
Since 1999: Setterington’s Fertilizer Service Ltd. Joint-venture with The Agromart Group (formerly known as The Agronomy Group of Canada).

Setterington’s at a glance

1932-1963: Setterington’s Fertilizer Service Ltd.
1963-1990: Setterington’s Fertilizer Service Ltd. Joint-venture with CIL
1991-1992: Setterington’s Fertilizer Service Ltd. Joint-venture with ICI
1993-1999: Setterington’s Fertilizer Service Ltd. Joint-venture with Terra International
Since 1999: Setterington’s Fertilizer Service Ltd. Joint-venture with The Agromart Group (formerly known as The Agronomy Group of Canada).

Our History

William Setterington's truck in black and white

1932 Summer

William S. Setterington entered the fertilizer business as a dealer. Setterington trucked peaches and other farm produce as a solid three-month business in the summer.

Old Setterington's warehouse black and white

1932 Winter

The trucks would haul flue-cured tobacco to Aylmer and Tillsonburg. A business of picking up truckloads of fertilizer from CIL plant in Chatham and selling it door to door to farmers. William and his wife Flossie set up a warehouse for bagged fertilizer in the town of Leamington. William managed the transportation and distribution aspects; Flossie was the collections department.

First Share Purchase

Following the death of William Setterington, the first share purchase was completed, Al Matheson, Clare Pettipeace, Tom Bee, George Lithgow and Everett Smith became shareholders.

Early 1960s

George Whaley and Ross Bruner bought into Setterington’s. Whaley and Bruner had many other independent businesses in the area. After some time, all but Everett Smith sold their shares to Whaley and Bruner.

Old Setterington's Fertilizer silo in black and white

Growing with Jack

Around this time Jack Brown (Who owned some of the trucks being used in the company) was appointed sales manage and given 70 shares. Jack Brown was instrumental in growing the business and developed Setterington’s into a customer-oriented business.

1963 Ammonium
Nitrate Storage

Setterington’s purchased and stored Ammonium Nitrate from Cyanamid. Public sensitivity to safety and fertilizer intensified after the dramatic 1947 Texas explosion it was agreed that the storage of Ammonium Nitrate would be moved out of town and the search for a location began.

Offer from
Cyanamid of Canada

Around 1960 Whaley and Bruner were made a quiet offer by Cyanamid of Canada for their interest in Setterington’s. Cyanamid was developing a bulk blending program looking for plants for outright purchase or for partners with which to establish joint ventures.

Alternative Plans

Whaley and Bruner had another venture in mind. They bought out the other shareholders and in 1963 with controlling interest, sold CIL a half interest in Settterington’s. This partnership with CIL lasted from 1963 to 1990.

1968

Setterington’s expanded with a small bulk warehouse built on the 5th concession and Zion side road of Romney Township.

Mid 1970s

John Johnston, a special project manager with CIL became interested in combining CIL’s fertilizer interests with the grain business.

1980

Jack Brown resisted the idea but in 1980, two years after his death brothers John, Harry and Bob Dick who at the time were running Dick’s Grain (later Wheatley Elevators) bought out Setterington’s current shareholders Mrs. Jack Brown, George Whaley, Ross Bruner and Flossie Setterington.

1983 John & Bob’s Venture

John Dick ran Setterington’s in the first year with Bob Dick becoming Setterington’s general manager until 1983. The Grain/Fertilizer business mixture was not as successful as any of the partners had hoped.

1985 Offer to CIL

In 1985 Dave Dawson, who was managing the Lucknow Co-op approached CIL about buying Setterington’s.

April 1987

Dave with his then partner bought the Dick’s interest in Setterington’s, at that time they also leased the CIL fertilizer blending plant in Essex.

1991 – 1997

In 1991 Dave purchased his partner’s shares. Jim Leslie, Jamie Nash, and Brian Taylor purchased a significant number of shares in November of 1997 from Dave Dawson.

1997 – 2019

In the following years, Setterington’s business ownership underwent several changes. In particular, Chris Rahm and Tom Drummond joined as shareholders in partnership with Brian Taylor and Jamie Nash. Subsequently, three additional shareholders – namely Nikki Taylor-Peters, Ryan Renaud, and Randy Chevalier – joined the company in 2017.

Setterington's employees posing for camera at Setterington's Cottam plant

2020

Brian Taylor and Jamie Nash sold their remaining shares, Brian Taylor and Jamie Nash retired from Setterington’s after more than 40 years of service. Following this transition, Jenna Laramie-Mcguire and Jeremy Nash joined as new shareholders of the company.