Centerra Co-Op’s Mansfield, OH, facility has increased its grain storage capacity by roughly 25% to 5.2 million bushels.
According to a news release from the company, the new grain bin and conveyor bridge amounts to about a $4 million investment toward expanding the co-op’s services and storage capacity for its members.
The Mansfield facility Centerra's largest grain storage facility, processing anywhere from 10 to 15 million bushels of grain/year.
Additional capacity comes from Centerra’s newest bin, which can store up to 1 million bushels of grain. This new bin is situated next to one that is nearly identical, and on March 3, the two were connected by a 197-foot-long, 76,000-pound conveyor bridge.
Lifting the massive bridge took two cranes, two crane operators, two spotters on the ground, and a team of eight millwrights.
The conveyor was purchased through AGI Hi Roller Conveyors and the encapsulating bridge was purchased through Lamar Bridge. It was assembled on the ground then maneuvered it into place atop the two 114-foot-tall grain bins, where the millwrights were waiting to bolt and weld the structure in place, according to the company.
Centerra Co-op is an agricultural cooperative with more than 30 locations in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
