Prairie grain handler Richardson Pioneer has started work on a new elevator to expand its access to the southern reaches of northwestern Alberta’s Peace region.
The Winnipeg company said Thursday it expects to complete a new high-throughput grain elevator by fall next year on Canadian National Railway (CN) track at Huallen, about 35 km west of Grande Prairie.
The Huallen elevator will have 45,000 tonnes of storage capacity and a loop track system to load up to 150 rail cars, Richardson said.
The new build will give Richardson Pioneer presence in the County of Grande Prairie, which Tom Hamilton, the company’s senior vice-president for agribusiness operations, described in a release Thursday as “one of the most productive regions in Western Canada.”
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The company’s grain handle in the larger Peace region also includes Alberta elevators at Rycroft and Nampa and a facility at Dawson Creek, B.C.
Further north, Richardson also recently replaced an older elevator with a new high-throughput facility at High Level, Alta., which “has significantly expanded shipping capacity in a region historically underserved,” the company said.
Once the Huallen elevator is complete, Richardson said it will build a retail crop inputs facility at the site, to be open in late 2022. That operation will include a high-speed fertilizer blender and 10,000-square foot warehouse, the company said.
The Huallen crop inputs facility “will enable us to provide a full-service option for both grain and agronomics,” Hamilton said.
“This will include offering our customers leading seed, fertilizer and crop protection technologies in addition to year-round support with CropWatch agronomic services and CropMatrix digital services.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network
