HAGER CITY — ALCIVIA’s long-awaited 40-acre grain rail loading terminal with 3.9 million bushels of storage space was unveiled to the area’s farmers March 12, showcasing an opportunity for both sides of the exchange.

“At ALCIVIA, we’re committed to our mission. Advancing our customers through innovative and responsible solutions,” ALCIVIA CEO and President Jim Dell said. “This facility really shines with that. The things that we’re going to be able to do, and it strengthens our cooperative, but also provides real, tangible assets for you as growers to be able to utilize and market value that we plan to bring to you.”

Its capacity and processing abilities make the site one that changes the game for Pierce County farmers.

“It gives us kind of a final destination for corn,” farmer Brent Wink said. “In the past, we just had local markets where you’re dropping it at a feed mill or something and it’s one more further step removed. So, obviously, the first benefit is just a stronger basis and a better grain price.

“This is the biggest thing to happen in the state of Wisconsin since possibly the last ethanol plant being built for just creating more local demand and local opportunity,” Wink said.

From ALCIVIA’s perspective, they want a site that can operate at all hours, getting farmers in and out of the facility as quickly and safely as possible because they know how busy farmers can be during some portions of the year. Site Manager Jim Schultz said if no one is in line, they expect to have farmers in and out of the facility in seven minutes so people can get back to their farms and homes.

“If you have more than maybe 12 or 15 trucks on this property at any time, something better be broke down,” Schultz said.

The facility will be able to dry nearly 10,000 bushels per hour with two dryers so operations can continue in an instance where one is not working. There are three dump pits with a capacity of 20,000 bushels per hour, and 110-car trains can be loaded in under 10 hours.

“We’re very excited about the market access with the railroad operating year-round rather than the river and the barge freights only operating when the river is open,” Chief Operating Officer Rodney Balvitsch said. “This will be able to offer market access to the Pacific Northwest as well as the domestic markets down in Texas or into California as well as Mexico.”

Although the facility has one-of-a-kind qualities, Dell knows that comes with a lot of eyes on them.

“We’ve got to perform,” Dell said. “We as ALCIVIA and our origination teams have to be out there continually building those relationships and working with our growers to create the confidence.”

Dell said they chose the location in Hager City because it is on the Burlington Northern shuttle network and there was a hole in this area. ALCIVIA also noticed this was a spot where grain was available for purchase.

“Our producers understand what it’s going to do for them from a value standpoint,” Dell said. “We’re eager to serve them.”

Seeing tons of farmers flood the facility for the ribbon cutting got many of ALCIVIA’s staff excited, and they are ready to deliver on their promises.

“It just gives us the satisfaction that the patron base and the farmers in the area are excited about the market opportunities that this is going to bring,” Balvitsch said. “And we’re excited for them to come and look at it today so the first time they bring grain to the facility they’ve been able to see it.”