GRAINTON, NEBRASKA, US — Scoular on Nov. 17 celebrated the installation of a new high-speed shuttle loading system at its Grainton, Nebraska, elevator that will feature significantly faster grain unloading speeds to benefit producers in southwest Nebraska.

Paul Maass, chief executive officer of Scoular, plus other Scoular leaders and railroad representatives, joined for the ribbon-cutting event. 

The facility is only the fourth of its kind in southwest Nebraska, which includes Scoular’s facility in nearby Venango. Scoular’s new Grainton shuttle loader provides high-speed loading and unloading capabilities and has track capacity for 110 cars. The facility has the capability to receive grain at a rate of 45,000 bushels per hour, even while loading out railcars at 60,000 bushels per hour. That is five times the loadout volume than before the upgrade. 

Previously, Scoular’s Grainton facility consisted of a standard elevator with track space for 25 cars that, along with truck transportation, provided farmers access to markets primarily in southwest Nebraska and Colorado. 

At the new facility, the Nebraska, Kansas, & Colorado Railway (NKCR), an affiliate of the OmniTRAX rail network, provides access to the BNSF mainline, opening farmers to markets in such places as Mexico and Texas.

The upgrade includes: 

• Quadrupling track capacity to 110 cars. 
• Expanding storage capacity to 6 million bushels with new twin, 140-foot-high concrete tanks.  
• Adding two high-speed receiving legs and two receiving pits, boosting unloading speed and efficiency as well as adding a high-speed shipping leg to the new facility. 
• Enhancing sustainability by taking greater advantage of the fuel efficiency of moving grain by rail versus by truck.  

 “Our company thrives on helping farmers and customers succeed, and this facility is a great example of our service to them,” said Ron Bingham, senior vice president and grain division manager at Scoular. “With these upgrades, farmers will get in and out quickly, and we know how important that is for them.”