By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
LA CROSSE — Midland Marketing broke ground on Friday for two new grain storage bins west of its current facility at 1015 Oak in LaCrosse.
The facility has bunker storage, but the new $6 million facility will include two 250,000-bushel grain bins and inbound and outbound scales.
Midland Marketing officials had hoped to have the new bins open by wheat harvest this summer, but supply issues with transformers and motors might delay the opening until the fall harvest.
The current LaCrosse facility has bunkers. Those will remain. The new bins will increase capacity at the site and should allow for faster grain unloading. The bins also will be able to better preserve the grain compared to the bunkers.
The current retail facility will remain open. Midland will not be hiring any new staff for the expanded facility.
Midland Marketing hopes to eventually connect with the nearby railroad track for rail transport of grain.
Midland Marketing serves almost 1,000 member-owners and more than 4,100 customers. With a combined storage capacity of almost 12.6 million bushels, it has elevators in Hays, Brownell, Hargrave, La Crosse, McCracken, Natoma, Palco, Plainville, Toulon, Yocemento and Zurich to meet the needs of area producers.