The Scoular Company is set to break ground at its facility in Venango, Nebraska, improving and expanding the facility to load shuttle trains of corn and wheat. Scoular has operated the Venango facility and its satellite stations in Brandon, Big Springs and Lamar, Nebraska for the past 15 years.

Scoular is working in cooperation with Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado Railnet, Inc. and the Burlington Northern Railroad for plans to improve the facility. These plans call for a new rail siding to hold additional railcars and high-speed railcar loading equipment. Once completed, the facility will be capable of loading grain at a rate of 50,000 bushels per hour, filling 110 railcars in less than 15 hours. Improvements also will increase the facility’s truck unload rate by 15,000 bushels per hour.

According to George Schieber, Senior Vice President of Scoular’s Producer Markets Division, the new capacity in Venango “will create additional market opportunities for Venango grain while providing another shuttle origin for our destination customers. We are committed to improve market access for our Nebraska and Colorado producer customers. In addition, our proximity to Frenchman Valley Coop’s facility in Venango and our working relationship with that firm may allow a unique opportunity to improve the value of grain handled through their operation by combining shipments.” Scoular will integrate the expanded Venango capacity into its existing network of grain elevators in the western Nebraska market.

The Company’s CEO, Randal Linville, cites the Venango expansion as a part of Scoular’s strategy to strengthen its position in promising markets with investment in facilities. “Our company is committed to owning and operating up-to-date facilities that serve strong markets like producers in western Nebraska,” said Linville.

Scoular anticipates that the facility improvements will be substantially completed by about June 1, 2003, prior to the area’s local wheat harvest. Local manager Rick Matousek has indicated that they expect to continue normal operations receiving and shipping grain throughout the period of construction.

The general contractor for construction of the facility improvements is RBP Construction of Ogallala, Nebraska.

The Scoular Company, headquartered in Omaha, markets agricultural commodities throughout North America.

Scoular is a century-old agribusiness company supplying grain and feed ingredients throughout North America.