SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA, US — CHS Inc. will begin construction this spring on a 1.1-million-bushel grain shuttle facility in southeast South Dakota, US, that ties into an existing rail loop used for the company’s agronomy operations.

The new facility will include industry-leading technology and the latest safety features, CHS said. It will be built near the intersection of Interstate 29 and State Highway 44 near Worthing, South Dakota, south of Sioux Falls. The facility will feature fast and efficient receiving and loadout capabilities to bring area farmers additional market access in the company’s strategic Pacific Northwest grain corridor and other important markets.

“We continue to reinvest in projects that bring even more value to our owners while expanding customer-focused retail solutions for area farmers,” said Rick Dusek, executive vice president of CHS ag retail operations. “Our continued focus is on making investments on behalf of our farmer-owners that will strengthen rural America and help meet the growing demand for agricultural products and services.”

The new facility will create a safer environment for employees, farmers and community members through cleaner operating conditions and updated equipment with enhanced safety features, CHS said.

“This investment in infrastructure and supply chain capabilities is part of a coordinated and focused effort to drive operational and efficiency gains throughout our expansive CHS network,” said Kent Mulder, CHS vice president of operations in South Dakota and the Southern Plains. “Our operational footprint and assets are the strength of our supply chain, and this important project delivers on our strategy to have safe, efficient assets in the right places to best serve our farmer-owners’ increasing need for speed and space and connect them to global markets.”

The announcement comes on the heels of CHS and Cargill expanding their joint venture, TEMCO, LLC, with the addition of Cargill’s export grain terminal in Houston, Texas, US, through the port of Houston. The Houston terminal is 40 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico via Galveston Bay.

CHS is a leading global agribusiness owned by farmers, ranchers and cooperatives across the US, diversified in energy, agronomy, grains and foods. The second-largest grain-handling company in North America, according to Sosland Publishing’s2023 Grain & Milling Annual, CHS has 230 grain storage facilities holding 403 million bushels.