Canadian agribusiness Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd. (P&H) announced in August that it plans to build a new crop input center and grain terminal in the rural municipality of Gilbert Plains, in northwestern Manitoba.
The new facility, which will be named Grand Plains, will house 25,000-30,000 mt of grain storage with a receiving capacity of 550 mt/hour and a load-out capacity of 1,500 mt/hour. The site will also have a 6,000 mt bulk dry fertilizer shed with a blending capacity of 250 mt/hour, as well as a chemical storage shed, seed treating facilities, and a new grain drying system.
The Grand Plains facility will be located on a 150-car loop track with the CN Railway, which P&H said will provide greater access to fertilizer markets across North America and around the globe. The new site is intended to service Manitoba’s Parkland region, which includes the communities of Grandview, Gilbert Plains, Roblin, Swan River, Dauphin, and Ochre River. P&H said the on-site seed treating facilities at Grand Plains will service the direct-to-grower market and also supply the current P&H site in Swan River.
Justin Watson, P&H vice president, Crop Inputs Canada, told Green Markets that the company is currently finalizing contractors, with groundwork at the Grand Plains site expected to begin next summer. The facility will likely employ 15 or more staff when operational.
“P&H is committed to investing in state-of-the-art facilities that help farmers grow and market the best crop,” said John Heimbecker, P&H executive vice president and president of the company’s Grain Division. “Our investment in the Grand Plains location is key to bringing complete crop input and grain solutions to growers in the Parkland Region. The facility will not only provide crop input products and services, it will also expand the grain marketing opportunities for farmers in this area.”
P&H has been engaged in a multi-year expansion of its grain, fertilizer, and crop inputs business in Canada. The company is currently constructing a new crop input center and grain terminal in Viking, Alta., which is slated for completion in early 2019 (GM Dec. 8, 2017). The Viking terminal will include a 46,000 mt grain storage elevator, a 25,000 mt dry bulk fertilizer shed, and a chemical storage facility, all with access to CN Railway via a 150-car loop track. P&H said the Viking facility will support four crop input locations in Alberta that the company purchased from Crop Production Services (Canada) Inc. (CPS) in early 2017 (GM Jan. 20, 2017).
In addition to the Grand Plains, Viking, and CPS expansions, the company also reported in late 2016 that it had opened new fertilizer blending plants at Wilson Siding, Alta., Gladstone, Man., and Biggar, Sask., and was working to expand fertilizer storage capacity at existing Saskatchewan crop input and grain terminal locations in Moosomin, Tisdale, and Moose Jaw (GM Dec. 2, 2016).
Headquartered in Winnipeg, Man., P&H is a family-owned operation with more than 60 locations and over 1,500 employees across Canada. In addition to crop input products and services, the company has an extensive grain elevator network and also operates trading and merchandising, transportation and logistics, feed, and grain milling businesses.