Construction to begin on grain facilities

By Kerry Watson, Director of Communications

Construction of two high-speed grain facilities is scheduled to start in early July following the completion of wheat harvest. Located in Rice and McPherson counties, both facilities will house a combined total of nearly 6 million bushels of grain.

MKC and CHS, Inc., an energy, grains and foods company, formed a limited liability company (LLC) to build and operate a high-speed shuttle loading facility to be located two miles west of Canton, Kan on Highway 56 in McPherson County.  Located on the Union Pacific rail line, it is estimated the grain shuttle will load out 15 to 20 million bushels of grain on an annual basis to export facilities in the Pacific Northwest, Gulf Coast and Mexico.

Proximity to Kansas Ethanol and membership growth in the area served as primary reasons for the site selected north of Lyons, Kan in Rice County. Dave Christiansen, MKC President and CEO, commented the co-op consulted with grain industry experts in selecting the site. "Grain production in the area, access to good roads and the location and condition of existing grain facilities were all factors in selecting a site for the Rice County project," Christiansen stated.

Both projects are expected to be completed before the 2014 fall harvest.