A Cargill grain elevator in Manitoba’s southwestern corner will get a major boost in storage and throughput capacity over the next year.
The Winnipeg-based Canadian arm of the U.S. agrifood giant said Friday it will expand the capacity of its elevator at Elva, Man., about 85 km south of Virden, to 24,500 tonnes of storage, up about 70 per cent from 14,500 currently.
The elevator’s rail car spot, which connects it to Canadian Pacific Railway, will also be expanded to 112 cars from 56.
Citing customer demand from southwestern Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan, Cargill farm service group manager Sheldon Spearman said in a release that "to continue to meet their needs we knew we needed to expand in the southwest part of the province."
Six of Cargill’s eight Manitoba elevators are in the province’s west, including three in the southwest region. Of its 12 primary elevators in Saskatchewan, five serve the province’s east.
Cargill said its customers will be able to deliver grain to the Elva site during construction, which is set to begin this week for expected completion by harvesttime in 2013.
