OVERLAND PARK, KAN. — Upgrades at two Scoular grain handling facilities in Kansas will increase unloading speeds and expand storage capacity in time for this year’s harvest.

The company made substantial investments at its Coolidge facility in western Kansas and its Pratt facility in south-central Kansas.

An increase in production of white wheat in southwest Kansas drove the need for more capacity at Coolidge, according to Scoular. Meanwhile, increased yields and demand for corn, wheat and other grains at both facilities drove the need for upgrades.

“The upgrades demonstrate our commitment to improving speed, space and efficiency for customers and we are proud we can serve them even better, especially during the busy harvest time,” said Ron Bingham, senior vice president and grain division manager at Scoular.  

The work at Pratt included expansion of total storage capacity to 5.5 million bus and a 30% boost in grain unloading speed with an additional high-speed receiving leg. A third grain receiving pit was added, boosting unloading speed and efficiency.

The Coolidge upgrade included expanding total storage capacity to 6.5 million bus and boosting grain unloading speed by 30% with a new high-speed receiving leg. A fifth grain receiving pit was also added.

The Coolidge and Pratt facilities are located on railroad mainlines — Coolidge on BNSF and Pratt on Union Pacific — providing customers with efficient access to regional, domestic and export markets, Scoular said.

The upgrades follow major improvements completed earlier this summer at Scoular’s facility in Adrian, Mo. All three facilities are part of Scoular’s US Midwestern grain handling network that includes more than 50 facilities in Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska.