SPARTA, GEORGIA, US — Revive Milling, LLC and Veal Farms Transload, LLC will use a 4.5-mile rail spur planned by the Sandersville Railroad Company in Hancock County, Georgia, US, connecting the businesses to the CSX railroad as they look to expand market access for their refined grain and other agricultural products. 

The Hanson Spur will run along Georgia Highway 16 in Hancock County to the Heidelberg Materials aggregate quarry in Sparta, Georgia. Revive Milling and Veal Farms Transload are located in nearby Sandersville. A privately held shortline, Sandersville Railroad plans for the rail spur to be fully operational by the end of 2024. 

“The Hanson Spur presents a unique opportunity for our customers and farmers across the region,” said Cale Veal, managing member of Revive Milling and Veal Farms Transload. “The new spur will reduce our transportation costs on behalf of the farmers we work with and allow us to move agricultural products like soft red winter wheat, organic corn, rapeseed and soybeans into new markets.”

Revive Milling purchases and processes grain to food ingredients and then sells and transports those refined ingredients to food producers. Revive Milling is the only facility in the state of Georgia certified by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a non-GMO and organic milling facility.

Veal Farms Transload is the parent company for Veal Farms, LLC, a leading producer of grain for major poultry and agricultural processing companies, and Veal Farms Trucking, LLC, which delivers agricultural products from rail to end users and from producers to rail. Veal Farms Transload is Georgia’s only FDA-certified organic transload facility.

“We are excited that the Hanson Spur will serve as an integral part of Veal Farms and Revive Milling’s continued growth,” said Ben J. Tarbutton III, president of Sandersville Railroad. “It gives us great pride to know that our rail spur will not only benefit our new partners but also aid farmers throughout the region.”