Saskatchewan Wheat Pool has joined with a producer group to build a high-throughput grain terminal in southwestern Saskatchewan.
The pool and the Great Sandhills Terminal producer group will build an $8-million facility at Leader. This is the first time the company has teamed up with a producer group to build a grain terminal.
Construction of the 20,000-tonne concrete elevator, including 10,000 tonnes of condominium space, will begin this fall.
Larry Parrott, Project Horizon co-ordinator at the pool, said the terminal fits right into the co-operative’s expansion plans. The pool is investing $235 million over the next three years in grain handling facilities in the three prairie provinces.
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Parrott said the company has talked with other producer groups as plans for terminals sprang up around the province.
“This is the first one that’s come to fruition,” he said. “It just turned out to be a logical fit.”
Some smaller pool elevators in the Leader area will close, he said, although those details have not been announced.
“Anyone who lives in the area probably has a pretty good idea,” he said.
Open in 1999
The Great Sandhills Terminal will be built about four kilometres east of Leader on Highway 32 and the CP Rail Empress subdivision. It is expected to open in mid-1999.
The producer group will own 52 percent of the terminal. A share offering drew 429 local investors. As well, 72 condominiums have been sold.
“Producers in our area recognized that there is a huge consolidation occurring in the grain handling area,” said group spokesperson Gordon Stueck. “We have taken an active role and invested in the long-term future of our community and the surrounding area.”
The terminal will be operated by the local group. The pool will have three representatives on the board of directors and provide marketing expertise.
