Bifold doors met operational requirements for Central Region Cooperative’s (CRC) multi-building facility. The co-op runs operations in three buildings with four bifold lift-strap doors with dustproof electrical motors.
Two bifold doors are located at a load-out area, which tenders can drive through while loading fertilizer. The doors are large enough for semi-trucks to drive in, load or unload, and drive out the opposite side at fertilizer receiving and load-out bays. The coop also plans to add a rail spur and rail bay to connect to a receiving building.
Nate Gieseke, CEO at CRC, says, “Our dry fertilizer warehouse is capable of holding 17,015 tons [15,436 t] of bulk fertilizer and has a 250-ton [227 t] tower with a 4-ton [4.41 t] [flexible batch] mixer that is five times faster than our standard towers. The chemical and seed warehouse is approximately 36,000 sf [3,345 m2]. The two drive-through bays have 16-ft by 18-ft [4.9-m by 5.5-m] doors, where customers can get loaded with bulk or packaged chemicals, with the ability to mix hot loads or liquid fertilizer and any chemical needs the customer may have.”
A larger package and bulk liquid chemical storage building is located on the east side of the campus, apart from these two fertilizer processing and blending buildings. The north end of the building houses a seed warehouse with a 6-m (20-ft) wide by 15-m (50-ft) long addition for seed treatment and bulk seed handling. To further centralize its operations, the CRC has plans to relocate its anhydrous and liquefied petroleum site to its new site.
“This site will handle all facets of agronomy needs, dry fertilizer, micros, macros, liquid fertilizer, chemicals, and various brands and varieties of bagged and bulk seed, pretty much everything you can get from an agronomy center,” Gieseke says.
Photo courtesy Central Region Cooperative (CRC)
Owner: Central Region Cooperative (CRC), Fairfax, Minn.
General contractor: Stueve Construction LLC, Algona, Iowa, stueve.com
Door installer: Schweiss Doors, Fairfax, Minn., bifold.com
