Village News

The Southeast Implement Collectors was started after we had an exploratory meeting in November 1999 to see if there would be enough interest to form a club to help preserve equipment used on the farm and stimulate interest in the agricultural history of our area. As farming has become more commercialized, a lot of the old skills and implements have been lost or replaced by modern technology. In the last several decades a lot of older implements were sent to the shredders because very few people saw value in keeping and preserving them. As the price of scrap steel went up, more machinery was sent to the shredders, so we felt that if we wanted to preserve any of this machinery the time was now.

The founding meeting of the club took place on January 12, 2000, at 7 p.m. at the Mennonite Heritage Village. The purpose of the meeting was to organize the club, elect a board, and set direction for the club. Since its inception, the Club has had a good working relationship with the Mennonite Heritage Village.

The purpose of the club has been to preserve and protect agricultural machinery used in the past; to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas on how to preserve older equipment; and to collectively exhibit and demonstrate the machinery to the general public. Furthermore we want to promote and train interested parties in the preservation of our agrarian heritage, both in skills and artifacts.

The club also participates in events like the Plowing Match, the fairs around Southeastern Manitoba, and the Tractor Trek held annually as a fundraiser. We are proud of our relationship with MHV and want to strengthen that relationship as we recognize that we need each other.

A world-class facility like the MHV cannot exist without the support of the related clubs, helping the general public to catch the vision of the founders of the museum, which is simply the preservation of our heritage.