aGRO Systems Green Expansion! 

Our aGRO Systems team is currently in the midst of a major production increase of its exisiting customers, and we need YOUR help to manage the growth! 

A little history on aGRO:

aGRO Systems operates collecting spent grain byproducts from local breweries of Calgary and repurposes them into feeds for local ranchers. The service and process provides breweries with a responsible and reliable disposal method that keeps spent grain out of landfills and/or ensures they are not underutilized as a compost. Spent grain as a feed provides cattle and other similar livestock with a high protein ration while reducing methane emissions from the animals themselves and keeping feed costs low for farmers.

Currently, the aGRO team spends about 16 hours a day hauling the spent grain from Calgary to its Research Ranch in Crossfield Alberta where farmers come to pickup the feed or its used in aGRO's feeding program. Half the day is spent just simply driving on Deerfoot due to the large distance between the ranch and the city. In order to keep up with the demand of breweries and farmers--and increase its capacity to upcycle other food wastes--aGRO needs to make a change! 

What is this change? 

aGRO requires an inner-city warehouse transfer station to help reduce its fuel and labour costs and carbon footprint of excess driving. 

Through achieving the goal of this campaign, aGRO intends to set up a warehouse location within the city of Calgary so it may transfer byproducts from its small brewery containers into bulk trailer loads that can travel to its farm location. Meanwhile the saved travel time will allow aGRO more time to expand its service range to more cities and for the collection of more food wastes and byproducts. This will not only allow aGRO to keep more organic wastes out of landfills, reduce carbon, and reduce burnout of its own organization--but it will help more of our local farmers and ranchers!

In addition, we eventually intend to use the store front of the warehouse as a farm store. This farm store will give aGRO's farm and ranch customers access to market their farm fresh products and truly make aGRO a closed-loop system. 

Who We Are

aGRO Is an engine managing the inputs and outputs of the agriculture industry to generate sustainable closed-looped systems within Canadian food and beverage production.

Why We Exist

aGRO was created for John Ross, and the countless men and women who work hard to feed our world, but do not receive the financial reward or stability they deserve. aGRO’s founder, Victoria Ross, hated seeing her father John having to work full-time as a rancher and take a second job to keep the bills paid. Completing an entrepreneurship project in 2015, Victoria learned that nearly 50% of Canadian farmers need a second job, and that the smaller-scaled producers like her father, were in fact part one of the most environmentally sustainable classes of farm food production.

José Graziano da Silva, director general of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization has said that “Nothing comes closer to the sustainable food production than family farming. The preservation of natural resources is rooted in their product logic; and the highly diversified nature of their agricultural activities gives them a central role in promoting the sustainability of our food systems and ensuring food security”

Since then, a fire in her belly ignited. The men and women who put food on our plate—and intend to do it sustainably—do not deserve to question how they will afford to put food onto their own plates. That was why aGRO was born.

What We Believe In

aGRO holds a vision for Canadian agriculturalists to be progressive and profitable at the grassroots so community health, the environment, and our global food system can thrive.

We believe providing products and services that improve the profitability of local food and beverage producers will create healthier foods for consumers, create better quality jobs and improve the environment all in the same instance.  Through encouraging diversified family farms, better connecting farm to table, and reducing emissions and wastes that procure in the supply chain, we can reverse climate change and end food insecurity.

What We Do

Our expertise includes managing and transforming organic waste outputs into value, building farm to table connection, and creating sustainable inputs to cultivate healthier and more productive farms and ranches. Simply put, we aim to be a closed-loop service provider conducting the following operations:

Byproduct & Food Waste Rescue N’ Removal Services
We provide the food and beverage industries with waste removal services to upcycle or repurpose damaged foods and by-products rather than using the landfill. We work with craft breweries, distilleries, cider houses and food processors to turn their waste into livestock feeds. We intend to also rescue damaged wholesale items for local food charities like Leftovers when possible!

Craft Feed & Compost Provider
We transform waste outputs from our waste rescue services info affordable feed and composts for farms and ranches.

Craft Feed Gardens: Custom Drylot Feeding Services
As of 2022, we have begun running a small-scale feedlot operation, focused on providing producers with a dedicated partner to finish their animals. Our program holds a high regard for animal welfare and happiness—with cattle having full access to pasture, along with nutrient rich rations. Through utilizing the correct feed ingredients, pasture rotations, and wetland conservation practices, aGRO and our farmer partners, will eventual be part of new sector of carbon neutral beef production.

Farm Fresh Food Provider
Through aGRO’s own farm production—and in collaboration with other ranches that use our craft products and services—we can provide small businesses and consumers with farm fresh beef, eggs, jams, honey and teas.

Beer to Steer Spent Grain Removal Service

• Operating Tuesday – Friday, additional days upon request
• Flexible Payment/Service Plans Available
◦ Daily Caster Bin Pickups*
◦ Weekly Bulk Trailer Loads
◦ Emergency One-time Pickups

* Caster Bin Pickups utilize trucks with liftgates, no forklift required

Craft Livestock Feed/Feeding Services

• Raw Spent Grain
◦ High Protein and moisture content
◦ Great additive for dry feeds and forage
◦ Pickup via tote exchange or bulk trailer load deliveries
• Novel Feeds & Composts Coming Soon!**
• Feed Gardens: Custom Drylot Feeding Services

Focus on carbon reduction in livestock production & improved meat quality.

Farm to Table Initiatives

• Seasonal & Holiday Farm Fresh Food Gift Baskets

• Year-round: Beef Products, Eggs, Jams & Honey

Reducing wastes & emissions by buying direct from farms and local business!

Food Waste Rescue & Recovery Services

Recently, aGRO has learned of the overall food that is lost or wasted in Canada sits at approximately 58% per year. When our founder came to learn this fact, she was outraged. Why do almost 50% of Canadian farmers need to struggle with a second job, while over half of the food they produce just ends up going to waste? Moreover, why are one in eight Canadian households experiencing food insecurity while 11.2 million metric tonnes of this lost and wasted food could be saved every year?

As such, Victoria decided she needed to do something. The application of the disposal/upcycling model from the Beer to Steer Spent Grain Removal program to other businesses in the food and beverage industry launched at the end of 2020. First it started with a little cidery and aGRO repurposing its apple waste into snacks for pigs to then working with the local restaurant chain Red’s Diner and taking their vegetarian food waste to be used as livestock feed supplements where possible. aGRO now hopes to expand to larger corporations that are involved with food processing and distribution to help them manage their waste in the most impactful ways for the community.  

Current Offering:

• Flexible Payment/Service Plans Available
◦ Daily Caster Bin Pickups*
◦ Weekly Bulk Trailer Loads
◦ Pallet Stack Collection
◦ Emergency One-time Pickups

* Caster Bin Pickups utilize trucks with liftgates, no forklift loading required

The Food Waste Rescue & Recovery Service is intended to replace or compliment a firm’s existing composting service and food donation program. 

aGRO is partnered with food charities to sort, clean and take damaged food parties to hungry people. In terms of food waste recovery, we will aim on upcycling as many food items as possible to be used for people, then livestock feed, and finally composting. Food packaging will be managed and responsibly recycled within the service as well.  

The goal of our offerings is to help follow The Federal Government’s Solution to Food Waste & Loss!