ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, US — CHS Inc. is expanding and upgrading its grain terminal at Kindred, North Dakota, US, improving speed and space at the facility, which upon completion will have an overall storage capacity to 5.2 million bushels in a key production region.

The project will replace existing steel bins with concrete operating space to hold 890,000 bushels. Removal of the steel bins is expected to begin later this year, and construction on the new concrete storage is tentatively slated for 2025. The facility is expected to be finished in late 2026.

The Kindred facility provides energy, grain and agronomy at a centralized hub. The site enhancements are expected to include a new loadout and two high-speed receiving dumps to increase efficiency and bring area farmers even more market access to the Pacific Northwest grain corridor and important regional markets.

“Investing in our Kindred grain terminal is just one example of how CHS is strengthening the grain supply chain by connecting local growers to the global marketplace,” said Rick Dusek, executive vice president, ag retail, distribution and transportation for CHS. “As a cooperative, we focus on investments on behalf of our owners that enhance their global market access and provide value back to our owners and their communities.”

The facility also has rail lines that feed into the Red River Valley and Western Railroad Co., a regional short-line railroad. This rail access links the Kindred grain terminal to a new soybean crush plant and existing ethanol plant in nearby Casselton, North Dakota.

Nearly 90% of North Dakota land area is in farms and ranches, according to the state’s Department of Agriculture. Agriculture is the largest segment of the state’s economy and is responsible for almost one-fourth of the state’s employment. Wheat, barley, corn, soybeans, sunflowers and canola are among the major crops.

“The Kindred grain facility is in a highly productive area of North Dakota, and our farmer-owners need efficient and effective assets to serve them now and into the future,” said Dennis Novacek, senior director of operations at CHS Dakota Plains Ag, which will be managing the facility as part of its area operations. “Updating grain storage and reducing load times at the facility allows for faster and more efficient service to farmer-owners during harvest and other high-volume seasons.”

CHS, a farmer-owned cooperative and global agribusiness based in St. Paul, Minnesota, operates 230 grain facilities with a little over 403 million bushels of licensed storage, making it the No. 2 grain handler in North America, according to Sosland Publishing’s Co.’s 2025 Grain & Milling Annual.

CHS serves customers in 65 countries and employs approximately 10,000 people worldwide, providing essential crop inputs, market access and risk management services for agricultural producers. The cooperative’s diversified agronomy, grains, foods and energy businesses recorded revenues of approximately $39 billion in fiscal year 2024. 

Dusek said the project is part of CHS’s investments along strategic grain corridors throughout the cooperative’s supply chain.