MANSFIELD, OHIO, US — Centerra Co-Op, an agricultural cooperative with more than 30 locations in Ohio and Pennsylvania, has increased the grain storage capacity at its Mansfield facility by approximately 25%, to 5.2 million bushels.

According to Centerra, the added capacity is the result of a new bin, which the cooperative said can store up to 1 million bushels of grain. The new bin is situated next to one that is nearly identical, and on March 3 the two bins were connected by a 197 foot-long, 76,000-pound conveyor bridge.

Centerra said two heavyweight cranes and a team of 8 millwrights, 2 crane operators and 2 spotters on the ground helped move the bridge into place earlier this month.

Total investment in the project was approximately $4 million, Centerra said.

Centerra’s Mansfield facility is the co-op’s largest grain storage facility, processing anywhere from 10 million to 15 million bushels of grain each year.

“People are so happy that we repainted the ‘Welcome to Mansfield’ sign on our silos,” said Jean Bratton, chief executive officer of Centerra. “It’s a proud landmark. This new bin is our way of investing in the future of Mansfield in a way that benefits farmers and agriculture.”

In addition to grain processing and storage, Centerra offers a wide assortment of farm products and agronomy services, fertilizer, fuel, propane, and farm, pet, and bird feeds.