GrainsConnect Canada announces first Alberta high-speed train loading terminal — and third terminal in Western Canada — is open and fully operational in Vegreville, Alberta.
GrainsConnect Canada is able to receive grain from producers to their terminal in Vegreville, an important and historic agricultural community east of Edmonton.
The $30 million project complements the first high-capacity terminals built by GrainsConnect in Maymont and Reford, SK.
A fourth terminal will open in Huxley, Alberta fall 2019. The Vegreville site features a state-of-the-art 35,000 tonne grain terminal with the ability to load 134 rail cars in under 14 hours. It is built to increase efficiency and reliability to growers in the Vegreville area.
“We are excited to join the community and help area producers,” says Warren Stow, president of GrainsConnect Canada. “We want to bring value to growers in many ways and our Vegreville team is committed and ready.”
GrainsConnect reported standards used to construct the Maymont and Reford terminals were applied in Vegreville. The company has leveraged its knowledge and expertise to ensure terminals are constructed efficiently and costeffectively, delivering further value to customers.
“Our terminal is an impressive piece of infrastructure but our true value is how we can help the family farm,” Stow says. “We’re growers too, and we understand the importance and value of a partner. We want to be the area’s number one partner.”
In addition to the company’s terminals, GrainsConnect and GrainCorp have also 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, AB, and is a joint-venture of GrainCorp and Zen-Noh Group.
GrainCorp, with corporate headquarters in Sydney, Australia, has been successfully providing customers with access to Canadian, American and global marketplaces for over 100 years.
Zen-Noh Group, a major Japanese agricultural cooperative, was established in 1972 and has grown into one of the largest cooperatives in the world, valued at over 115 billion yen.
Development of the Vegreville terminal created significant local employment during the construction process, plus full-time employment to operate the terminal year-round. GrainsConnect employs an expert team of merchants, armed with local knowledge and global insights, to provide easily understood terms and competitive prices to growers across Western Canada.
“We’re proud to contribute to the economic growth in these communities,” explains Stow. “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.”
