By Jolene FarleyAs of Wednesday, Sept. 24, the Cargill facility north of Hills belongs to New Vision Co-op, Worthington.New Vision Co-op General Manager Frank McDowell said the purchase has been in the works for a couple of months.Cargill is a large, family-owned corporation with headquarters in Wayzata, near the Twin Cities.McDowell said he approached Cargill officials about purchasing the facility after Hills-Beaver Creek Farm Service merged with New Vision Co-op March 1."When we went through the merger process, back six to eight months ago, it was evident to us that it (Hills-Beaver Creek Farm Service) didn’t really have a viable grain market," McDowell said. Grain was sometimes shipped 30 to 40 miles to the closest terminal, increasing freight costs for producers, according to McDowell.New Vision Co-op plans to correct that problem by expanding the Hills facility. "We’ve got some expansion to do for rail and track," McDowell said. Plans call for doubling track capacity for the facility from 54 rail cars to 110 rail cars. McDowell said the project, including additional track and increased storage, may be complete this fall if the weather cooperates. Rock County producers raise 22,000,000 bushels of corn and beans in any given year, according to McDowell. He estimates decreased freight expenses should increase the gross value of grain in Rock County by a million dollars in one year."It’s a big economic gain to producers in the area," he said. "It’s really a sign of the times. It seems in agriculture you have to continually seek ways to reduce costs. We think this could be, or is, a solution to those marketplace demands." The well-maintained facility’s accessible, out-of-town location was another selling point, according to McDowell.Of three Cargill employees at the Hills facility, one chose to remain. Two New Vision employees, one from the Hills location and one from the Beaver Creek location, are working at the rural Hills facility. More employees may be added in the future, McDowell said.
