WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA — Richardson International Ltd. has entered an agreement to acquire the Nampa, Alberta, Canada, grain handling and crop input retail facility of Great Northern Grain. Financial terms of the transaction, which is expected to close by Feb. 9, were not disclosed.

The facility has 17,300 tonnes of storage capacity, a full cleaning line for wheat and canola, and a 52-car spot on the Canadian National rail line. Additionally, the facility has an 8,400-square-foot crop protection and seed warehouse for retailing crop input products.

Richardson said it plans to add 14,000 tonnes of grain storage and increase the facility’s rail car spot to handle 104-car unit trains later this spring. By fall, plans call for additional fertilizer storage and installation of a 200-tonne-per-hour blending system.

“We are excited to add the Nampa facility to our Richardson Pioneer network,” said Darwin Sobkow, vice-president of agribusiness operations at Richardson. “Since 2007, Richardson has invested over C$80 million in the Peace river region, and we are committed to continuing to invest in this area to meet the growing needs of producers.”

The Nampa acquisition is Richardson’s fourth in the Peace river region in the past two years. Earlier, the company purchased crop input centers in Falher, Fairview and Manning in 2010.