The Aurora Cooperative Minden facility gained a 500,000 UAN tank and new loadout system to increase both the speed and capacity in their area. With the technological advancements in farming, we know our growers need more inputs in a smaller window of time. Randall Horine, Minden location manager, said last spring they ran out of fertilizer almost every day, sometimes by noon. With this new tank capacity, trucks aren’t running back and forth every day to keep the location and the growers in that area running smoothly. There was also a new Kahler system implemented that will load trucks in 10 minutes as opposed to 30 minutes previously. Randall said as far as efficiencies go, timing will be the biggest positive, getting product out to growers faster, especially those farther away like in Franklin. This investment will benefit the entire area, not just Minden itself.
“It never did take long to get loads out to the field, but this year, it’s been like clockwork. We have never had to wait on fertilizer. I went in to get my nurse tank filled and there was a semi-truck in front of me in line, and it only took 10 minutes to load. It’s really fast, and it’s definitely an upgrade to this area,” Upland grower Cody Steinkruger said.
Watch as we highlight new key investments in the next couple of weeks.