Farmers are already getting ready for spring planting, and West Central Cooperative is planning ahead as well and will have a new 700,000 bushel upright steel bin completed at their Boxholm location before this spring’s corn crop begins to tassel. West Central has invested nearly $2.5 million into the Boone County project, which consists of the demolition of an old feel mill, major soil corrections, installation of a 150 foot tall tank as well as conveyer equipment rated at 20,000 bushels per hour. The entire project is slated to be completed by early summer of 2016. Janette Smith, West Central regional manager at the Boone County location, said the project adds storage capacity and allows them to take in more grain at the peak of harvest. At the same time, they hope to reduce traffic congestion and get growers back to growing more quickly. The new storage capacity will also help farmers negotiate today’s commodities markets. According to Pat Lybyer, grain marketing specialist for West Central, with today’s market prices, local farmers are retaining record bushels on-farm and that trend may likely continue into the 2016 harvest. It is difficult to store two crops at the same time, he said, so the new storage capacity at Boxholm will alleviate unloading pressure for spring and summer marketing and when the crop comes in this fall.
