Photos by GROWMARK Multimedia Marketing Analyst, Bryan Whalen
Looking for ways to better serve the Western portion of their customers in McLean County, Illinois, Evergreen FS saw an opportunity to replace two older, undersized dry fertilizer terminals with a single new terminal, that has nearly five times the capacity of the old terminals.
A new, 9,000-ton-capacity fertilizer terminal was recently constructed by GROWMARK Construction in Shirley, Illinois. In addition to its increased storage capacity, central location, responsive conveyor system, and state-of-the-art blending system designed to shave about 30 minutes off blending time, it has some special qualities that set it apart from other locations.
Evergreen FS Vice President of Agronomy Operations, Justin Otto says they partnered with Heartland Community College, located in the nearby community of Normal, Illinois, to plant more than 100 trees to act as a wind block at the new terminal. They’re also working on installing pollinator habitats, wildflower gardens, and planting some hardwood trees on the property.
Otto says it’s an opportunity to enhance the property with some environmentally supportive features while building a relationship with the college. “Evergreen FS is excited to partner with Heartland Community College to engage students in this project which will also help us potentially recruit students in the future as well.”
Heartland Community College recently constructed an agriculture complex dedicated to creating a pipeline of students for the agriculture industry in Illinois.
Evergreen FS says the new building project will help them better serve their customers with the added bonus of building new relationships with Heartland Community College and its students.
Photos by GROWMARK Multimedia Marketing Analyst, Bryan Whalen