South Dakota Wheat Growers is beginning work on a $66 million project to add grain drying, storage and receiving capacity at 11 of its facilities in South Dakota and North Dakota.

The project will double the cooperative’s system-wide drying capacity, increase its storage capacity by 12 million bushels, or 21%; increase its grain receiving capacity by 2 million bushels per day, or 30%; and create two new shuttle loading facilities and Roscoe and Andover, S.D.

The new shuttle loaders  will relieve pressure on South Dakota Wheat Growers’ existing shuttle loaders, reduce producer costs and provide better access to grain markets, says Roger Hansen, vice-president of business development for the cooperative.

Other sites and equipment being added, include:

Alpena, S.D. – 10,000 bushel per hour dryer, 450,000 bushel bin and equipment to add 20,000 bushel per hour to the site’s receiving capacity

Berlin, N.D. – 7,000 bushel per hour dryer, two 140 bushel wet bins and equipment to add 20,000 bushel per hour to the site’s receiving capacity.

Grebner, S.D. -- 10,000 bushel per hour dryer, two 230,000 bushel wet bins, equipment to increase covered receiving capacity to 40,000 per hour and a second truck scale to improve traffic flow.

Hecla, S.D. – 10,000 bushel per hour dryer and conveying equipment to that will the facility to accept both wet and dry corn in both pits at the same time.

Highmore, S.D. – 10,000 bushel dryer, one 230,000 bushel wet bin, two 730,000 bushel large bins and equipment to create to two 20,000 bushel per hour receiving pits.

Melette, S.D. – 10,000 bushel per hour dryer, two 230,000 bushel wet bins, equipment to create 40,000 bushel per hour receiving capacity and a second truck scale to improve traffic flow.

Willow Lake, S.D. – 7,000 bushel per hour dryer.

Wolsey, S.D. – One 730,000 bushel bin and second truck scale to improve traffic flow

Yale, S.D. – a 7,000 bushel per hour dryer and 690,000 bushel bin.

All construction is expected to be completed in time for row crop harvest this year.

South Dakota Wheat Growers has plans to add capacity at Highmore and Melette, build a new shuttle loader at Tulare and add more bin storage at Wolsey in 2011 or 2012.

South Dakota Wheat Growers is the 12^th largest grain handling company and has more than 5,000 active members.