Ohio Co-op to Build Fertilizer, Grain Facility in Northern Kosciusko Co.

An Ohio-based grain and fertilizer cooperative is moving forward with plans to build a $30 million fertilizer and grain facility near Milford.

 

TruPointe Cooperative, headquartered in Piqua, Ohio, will begin construction early this year on 275 acres north of town, near the area known as Milford Junction.

 

Mike Jackson, TruPointe's chief marketing and strategy officer, said the agricultural cooperative picked this location for several reasons. In addition to the large amount of agricultural production in the area and close proximity to other existing facilities, the company also valued the site because of logistics. Two main rail lines intersect in that area of northern Kosciusko County.

 

The company has purchased acreage near the rail intersection, and last month, the Kosciusko County plan commission voted to recommend rezoning the area along C.R. 1400 North and C.R. 100 East from agricultural to heavy industrial.

 

The first phase of construction will be a full-service agronomy hub, with storage areas for both dry and liquid fertilizer plus bulk seed. The second construction phase will involve a grain elevator operation with a 4.5 million bushel storage capacity.

 

Both facilities will serve producers in a 60-mile radius, Jackson said. The agronomy facility will be operational by the spring of 2014, with the grain elevator opening about a year later.

 

Jackson said approximately 35 new jobs will be created by this project. TruPointe also plans to build a loop track to accommodate rail service to the "hub" facility.

 

Several infrastructure improvements will be made to local roads, including the widening of C.R. 100 East. Also, C.R. 1300 North will be extended to S.R. 15.

 

In addition, Jackson estimated the grain and fertilizer facility will add $6 million to the local economy through excavation, concrete, electrical, plumbing, gravel and fencing.

 

TruPointe Cooperative serves 50 locations throughout 29 counties in northeastern Indiana and west central Ohio, with more than 500 employees.