The Port of Blencoe is officially open for business.
NEW Cooperative constructed an $11 million port along the Missouri River, near the small Monona County town of Blencoe, IA.
On June 2, NEW Cooperative held a Ribbon Cutting Event at the facility with guest speakers Governor Kim Reynolds and Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig.
The port is the northernmost port on the nearly 760-mile span of the Missouri from St. Louis to Sioux City, IA. The Port of Blencoe will serve as a gateway to world markets and will shift high-volume freight from the road to the waterway.
Barges began transporting grain and fertilizer to and from the port in early spring 2021. The port can load and unload six to nine barges at a time. Each barge has the capacity to haul 50,000 bushels of grain. If the port serves 72 barges per year, that eliminates the need for 80,000 semi-trailer trucks of grain, says NEW Cooperative Manager Dan Dix.
The port gives the co-op direct access to export markets and provides a third option for transporting grain, beyond rail and trucks.
Be sure to see check outFeed & Grain'sAugust/September issue for anexclusive look at the new facility!
RELATED READING
NEW Cooperative Breaks Ground on Port of Blencoe