Viterra grain elevators make the news

Grain handler Viterra is being honoured for a facility east of Medicine Hat, while one to the west is expanding.

The Gull Lake terminal was named the “Elevator of the Year” on the Canadian Pacific Railway system by the railroad last week.

Meanwhile work to triple the storage capacity of the Cassils Road depot in Brooks is well underway.

Viterra doesn’t discuss budgets or timelines on construction projects, but officials confirmed to the News that three new bins at the site will increase capacity from about 11,500 tonnes of grain to 32,000.

As well, a siding expansion will allow trains 134 cars in length to be loaded.

In Saskatchewan, the facility in Gull Lake became compliant with longer train loading in early 2020, and can now handle 8,500foot trains, nearly 1.5 miles.

“CP is a key partner in our business, and we are pleased to be recognized by them for our high performance at Gull Lake,” said Kyle Jeworski, president of Viterra North America.

The elevator of the year on CP’s U.S. network was the CHS elevators in Hazel, Minn.