October 2024
Fall is here and harvest is under way for most of our area. Our grain facilities located in Mazomanie, Mineral Point, Richland Center, and Westby are anxiously awaiting this year’s crop. A few weeks ago, the Premier grain team spent the day reviewing safety and operational procedures to better prepare to serve our members’ needs during the upcoming season. Whether you need help hauling your crop to the elevator or are still looking to finalize your grain marketing plan, give us a call. Our knowledgeable staff is looking forward to working with you to make your harvest as safe and smooth as possible. Our team will do their best to meet your needs. Early communication of trucking and expected harvest dates are always appreciated. Thanks for your support and please be safe this harvest season.
Last spring I included several construction projects in my update that were in progress across the company. As we close out another fiscal year, I’m happy to report on the progress of these key investments.
- Lancaster Office – Earlier this summer we completed the construction of a new office and warehouse building for our Lancaster Ag Center. This new office is now home to our admin team from Fennimore and Lancaster Agronomy in addition to our Lancaster Energy and Feed staffs. Capable of supporting all divisions and multiple locations, this new office was long overdue and will be a great asset for our employees and members.
- Westby Feed – The feed manufacturing expansion project in Westby was completed in August. With double the milling and pellet capacity and expanded finished product loadout capabilities, this expansion project has already been put to the test and will allow our livestock nutrition team to continue to grow their business with the highest quality feed in the industry.
- Mazomanie Grain – The grain plant project in Mazomanie was also completed in August. With new additions including a 150,000 bushels capacity wet bin, scale, loadouts, high-speed receiving, and the removal of obsolete bins and equipment, this plant now has the speed and space to meet the needs of our producer members just in time for harvest.
- Mineral Point Feed – The large expansion project in Mineral Point is also going well. Current construction estimates have a completion time for late spring 2025. This project is expanding all aspects of manufacturing, receiving, warehousing, packaging, and more for our Mineral Point plant. Like Westby, this expansion project is a result of the growth of our livestock nutrition business.
- Cuba City Agronomy – While construction has seen its share of excavation and other earthwork delays this summer due to weather, crews have made an excellent effort to keep this project moving towards a spring 2025 completion date. Our teams from Hazel Green and Platteville have been working to bring these two locations together into one with improved efficiency, greater access to application equipment with the latest technology and a facility with the speed and capacity to serve our members’ needs.
While this is a list of some of the larger projects, there are many other projects that are completed each year that may not get as much attention. Large or small, each project across the company has a focus to increase safety, add value for our members, improve employee satisfaction, and grow the business. I look forward to sharing more as these and other future projects are put into service.
Whether you are out enjoying the weather on our beautiful country roads this fall or helping to bring in this year’s crop, please remember to slow down and be safe. I hope everyone has a successful harvest and a great month.
