Scoular has signed an agreement to acquire four grain handling facilities in northwestern Kansas, enabling the company to more than double its handling and storage capacity for area farmers.
The four facilities, purchased from ADM, are in Goodland, Brewster, Monument and Oakley. The parties expect to close the transaction in September. The four facilities will be operational for fall harvest. Scoular, which is based in Omaha, Nebraska, will handle corn, wheat and sorghum at these facilities.
Scoular has been building its presence in northwestern Kansas since 2007 after acquiring its first facility in Goodland. It later purchased facilities in nearby Cheyenne County and Winona before acquiring an additional facility five miles west of Goodland last year. With the latest acquisition, Scoular will own 11 facilities in northwest Kansas; eight are Scoular-operated facilities and three are Scoular-leased.
“We are excited to expand our presence in northwestern Kansas, create value for farmers and invest in our value-chain network providing highest quality and dependable supply to our customers,” said Scoular Regional Manager Derek Spears.
The company also recently announced substantial investments at its Coolidge facility in western Kansas and at its Pratt facility in south central Kansas. At Coolidge, increased production of white wheat in southwest Kansas helped drive the need for more capacity. At both facilities, increased yields and robust demand for the corn, wheat and other grains they handle drove the upgrades. Wheat yields in Kansas, for example, have averaged 43 bushels per acre the past decade, up 10% from the decade prior. Improved seed genetics are a key factor.
At Pratt, the upgrade includes the following:
• Expands total storage capacity to 5.5 million bushels.
• Boosts grain unloading speed by 30 percent with an additional high-speed receiving leg.
• Adds a third grain receiving pit, boosting unloading speed and efficiency.
• Enables the facility to continue to efficiently provide feedstock to partner Pratt Energy for ethanol production, while growing the Scoular facility’s overall capabilities.
At Coolidge, the upgrade includes the following:
• Expands total storage capacity to 6.5 million bushels.
• Boosts grain unloading speed by 30 percent with an additional high-speed receiving leg.
• Adds a fifth grain receiving pit, boosting unloading speed and efficiency.
