Federated Co-operatives Ltd. (FCL) is investing $75 million to build two high-throughput fertilizer terminals in Western Canada.
Construction has already begun at sites outside Hanley, Sask., and Brandon, Man.
These facilities, which are expected to be fully operating in early 2017, will warehouse, blend and distribute a full suite of crop nutrition products to Co-op Agro Centres.
The Hanley terminal will be able to store up to 45,000 tonnes of fertilizer while the Brandon terminal will hold 27,500 tonnes.
Rail access will allow both facilities to efficiently receive product from domestic and international suppliers.
Each terminal will be able to load a super B trailer of blended fertilizer in 10 minutes and dispense up to 400 tonnes of straight fertilizer in an hour.
Scott Banda, Federated’s chief executive officer, said in a news release the investment would benefit farmers and their communities.
“The fact that we are building these facilities in a challenging economy shows that we are positioning retail co-ops to better serve their members, customers and communities in the long term.”
There are 120 locally owned Co-op Agro Centres across Western Canada, of which 64 now sell fertilizer.
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Once the new terminals are operating, FCL expects more agro centres will add fertilizer to their offering.
