VEGREVILLE, ALBERTA, CANADA — GrainsConnect Canada’s first Alberta high-speed train loading terminal is open and fully operational in Vegreville, Alberta, Canada.

The Vegreville site is a 35,000 tonne grain terminal with the ability to load 134 rail cars in under 14 hours.

“Our terminal is an impressive piece of infrastructure but our true value is how we can help the family farm,” said Warren Stow, president of GrainsConnect Canada. “We’re growers, too, and we understand the importance and value of a partner. We want to be the area’s No. 1 partner.”

GrainsConnect Canada is able to receive grain from producers to the terminal in Vegreville and the project is in line with the first high-capacity terminals built by GrainsConnect in Maymont and Reford, Saskatchewan. A fourth terminal will open in Huxley, Alberta, in the fall.

GrainsConnect reported standards used to construct the Maymont and Reford terminals were applied in Vegreville. The company said it leveraged its knowledge and expertise to ensure terminals are constructed efficiently and cost effectively, delivering further value to customers.

Development of the Vegreville terminal created local employment during the construction process, plus full-time employment to operate the terminal year-round.

“We’re proud to contribute to the economic growth in these communities,” Stow said. “By hiring local merchants and supporting community initiatives where we build, we don’t just do business in these communities but truly become part of the family farm.”

In addition to the company’s terminals, GrainsConnect and GrainCorp have established a port solution with the construction of the Fraser Grain Terminal, to be located at the Port of Vancouver. GrainsConnect Canada and Parrish & Heimbecker (P&H) have signed an agreement to make Fraser Grain Terminal a 50-50 joint venture. The facility will have capacity to export up to 4 million tonnes of wheat, barley, oilseeds, pulses and other commodities per annum.

GrainsConnect Canada is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and is a joint-venture of GrainCorp and Zen-Noh Group.

GrainCorp, with corporate headquarters in Sydney, Australia, has been providing customers with access to Canadian, American and global marketplaces for over 100 years.

Zen-Noh Group, a Japanese agricultural cooperative established in 1972, has more than 40 years of experience in the United States, building a supply chain to Japanese end users starting with its first export facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., in 1979, and following up in 1988 with the purchase of Consolidated Grain and Barge. Today, Zen-Noh Grain has 95 facilities that handle 16 million tonnes of grain.