WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA — Richardson Pioneer Ltd. plans to build a new high throughput grain elevator in High Level, Alberta, Canada.

The new elevator will include 32,000 tonnes of storage space and will be capable of loading 135 cars through a loop track design. The facility will replace the existing Richardson Pioneer 6,500 tonne wooden crib elevator currently located in High Level.

“The High Level area, with its solid and loyal customer base, is an important market for us,” said Darwin Sobkow, executive vice-president of operations at Richardson. “The construction of this new facility, along with the recently acquired crop input business in La Crete, shows our long-term commitment to the area and ensures we will be able to meet our customers’ growing needs.”

Construction is underway and is expected to be complete by the fall of 2020. Once operational, the new facility will work closely with Richardson Pioneer’s La Crete crop inputs business, which was acquired from AgLand Seed and Chemical Limited in February.

The facility will be serviced by Canadian National Railway (CN) and Richardson said it is grateful for their support of the project and commitment to the marketplace.

“Richardson has an ongoing, aggressive commitment to further investment in Canadian agriculture,” Sobkow said. “We will continue to enhance our business and pursue new growth opportunities to meet the needs of our customers at home and in world markets.”

According to Sosland Publishing Company’s 2019 Grain & Milling Annual, Richardson International Ltd. has 71 grain storage facilities with a total grain storage capacity of 95.7 million bushels.

Richardson Pioneer is a division of Richardson International, a Canadian agribusiness. A global company in agriculture and food processing, Richardson is a worldwide handler and merchandiser of all major Canadian-grown grains and oilseeds and is a vertically-integrated processor and manufacturer of oats and canola-based products. Richardson has more than 2,600 employees across Canada, the United States and the U.K.