BISMARCK, ND. — The North Dakota Mill and Elevator in Grand Forks, ND, plans to upgrade its scales in its truck unloading facilities to speed up the process, according to Agweek.

The North Dakota Industrial Commission has approved spending $8.3 million on the upgrade. With the upgrade, waiting times on average will be reduced by 35% per day, said Vance Taylor, president and chief executive officer.

Construction is expected to start this summer with completion in 2021.

The state-owned mill is the largest single mill in the United States and Canada with a capacity of 52,500 cwts per day, according to Sosland Publishing’s 2020 Grain and Milling Annual.

North Dakota Mill and Elevator bought nearly 30 million bus of spring wheat and 1.96 million bus of durum from regional farmers and elevators in the 2019 fiscal year, which compared with 30.7 million bus of spring wheat and 2.6 million bus of durum in fiscal 2018.

North Dakota Mill and Elevator shipped nearly 14.7 million cwts of flour to customers in fiscal 2019, down 4% from 15.3 million cwts in fiscal 2018.

Family flour shipments in fiscal 2019 totaled 350,522 cwts, up 2.8% from a year ago. Organic flour shipments, meanwhile, totaled 141,901 cwts, down 9% from 156,413 cwts in fiscal 2018.