LINCOLN, Neb. (DTN) -- By this time next year CHS Inc. plans to have completed a planned expansion of its grain facility in Warren, Minnesota, the company announced this week, saying in a news release that construction is slated to begin in the summer of 2025.
CHS, based in Inner Grove Heights, Minnesota, announced that when the project is complete, the facility will have doubled its storage capacity to nearly 4 million bushels (mb).
The company said the increase in "speed and space" would include building two 737,000-bushel steel bins and three smaller bins totaling 460,000 bushels in storage capacity.
CHS said it also plans to install a new high-speed receiving pit and to increase grain-drying capacity of up to 200,000 bushels per day, allowing the Warren facility to "take grain when farmers want to move it."
The Warren facility currently handles corn, soybeans and spring wheat.
CHS Inc., a farmer-owned cooperative and global agribusiness, said in a news release the expansion will "enhance market access" for farmers in the Red River Valley by providing a "reliable destination" for their grain.
The Warren facility is located at two major rail lines and connects local growers to the Pacific Northwest and Mexico export markets, as well as domestic markets.
"CHS is focused on strategically investing in key facilities and areas within our cooperative to meet our owners' future needs while strengthening the grain supply chain," said Rick Dusek, CHS executive vice president, ag retail, distribution and transportation.
"We see the agricultural area in central and northern Minnesota as a vital growing region in the United States. Investing here ties into other infrastructure investments we've made recently to build out a strategic network of grain shuttle loaders that connects those growers and their grain to the global market. With more direct access to grain in the region, CHS can deliver more of our owners' grain to export markets and end users, creating more value for American farmers."
Ryan Anderson, senior director of operations at CHS, said in a statement that farmers in the Warren area are "strong supporters" of the farmers cooperative system.
"As we more than double the facility's grain storage and significantly increase receiving and drying capacity, this should lead to reduced load times and faster, more efficient service during harvest," he said.
CHS said it plans to complete construction by sometime early in 2026.
"As CHS looks at its key assets along strategic grain corridors, we are focused on creating a globally connected grain supply chain with more opportunities to help owners grow their operations," Dusek said.
"This project takes full advantage of the size and scale of CHS and helps the cooperative better serve farmers across central and northern Minnesota and into North Dakota with an integrated network of grain shuttle locations."
Earlier in January, CHS closed a multi-million deal to acquire West Central Ag Services, based in Ulen, Minnesota, https://www.dtnpf.com/….
Todd Neeley can be reached at todd.neeley@dtn.com
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