Paul Scharpe opens the hopper to unload the grain at the new CHS SunPrairie grain shuttle loading facility while Scott Backes looks on. Submitted Photo

LANSFORD – CHS SunPrairie cut the ribbon in late June on its new 900,000-bushel grain shuttle loading facility just northeast of Lansford along U.S. Highway 83 N. The ceremony officially put the facility put into operation.

The new 180-acre campus is the 10th location for CHS SunPrairie in north central North Dakota.

“We are proud of the fact that this facility is owned by the producers that do business with this cooperative. This new facility is something this area needed in order to bring producers the efficiencies and market premiums they need to continue doing what they do year after year,” said Brad Haugeberg, CHS SunPrairie general manager.

Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Scott and Rick Backes of Glenburn dumped the first load of grain at the Wiley terminal. The Backes’ were the highest bidder for the right to unload the first load of grain at the new terminal. CHS SunPrairie held a live auction on April 14 in Lansford and 100 percent of the bid went to the Lansford Emergency Medical Services crew for a new ambulance.

The new facility sits on 180 acres and has a 120-car circle track. It is a six-pack concrete facility with a 900,000-bushel capacity that will also have the ability to clean spring wheat. The facility was designed in a way that allows for expanded bushel capacity in the future. There are two scales for weighing trucks (one inbound, one outbound) as well as two unload pits. This new state-of-the-art facility will easily be able to load a full 100-car shuttle in under eight hours.

“We are looking forward to seeing the impact this facility makes in the area due to the shuttle loading capability,” said Jeremy Burkhart, CHS SunPrairie commodities manager. “The hard-working producers in this area deserve a facility like this that they can deliver to.”

Haugeberg expressed his gratitude for the confidence CHS showed in the local producer board and staff by approving this significant local investment. “The amount of work that goes into a project like this is a testament of how dedicated we are to our producers and helping them grow for generations to come, Haugeberg said.