Construction has begun on a new 24,000-ton agronomy facility in Warren, Minn., that will serve growers in an eight-county area in northwestern Minnesota and northeastern North Dakota. The facility will be jointly operated by CHS Inc. affiliates Northwest Grain, based in St. Hilaire, Minn.; Agri-Valley, based in Grand Forks, N.D.; Mid-Valley Grain, based in Crookston, Minn.; and Salol Elevators, based in Roseau, Minn.
“The common thread between these four operations is an overriding commitment to patron success,” said Carl Younce, regional director for CHS Country Operations division. “By working together, they offer greater economies of scale, secure supplies even during peak season and seamless service to producers from Badger to Crookston and from Thief River Falls to Drayton. They have one collective priority, and that’s to be the central resource producers can count on no matter where they are located in this region.”
The facility will be shuttle train-ready, and is located on the Burlington Northern/Canadian Pacific rail line. Major highway/interstate access and central location between the four partner locations is intended to make the operation as convenient as possible. The plant is scheduled to be up and running by spring 2008.
CHS also announced on May 30 that it is constructing two new Montana petroleum terminals and planning a third for eastern Washington in order to maximize supply efficiency for customers of its Cenex® brand refined fuels products.
The terminals under construction are located at Logan and Missoula, Mont., along the Yellowstone Pipeline. A location is being sought for a planned terminal in the Moses Lake, Wash., area. The three terminals will supply CHS customers with a wide range of products for bulk distribution from the company’s refinery at Laurel, Mont., including gasolines, diesel fuels, and ethanol-blended gasolines. The terminals are designed to accommodate biodiesel blends in the future.
The Missoula terminal is slated to be in operation in September 2007. It will have storage capacity of 148,000 barrels, the equivalent of 6.2 million gallons, and will have three full-time employees, as well as part-time personnel. The Logan terminal is scheduled for operation in November 2007. Its storage capacity will be 90,000 barrels, or 3.8 million gallons. The Logan terminal will have two full-time employees, as well as part-time staff.
A timetable has not yet been established for the planned eastern Washington terminal.