Superior Ag Plans Southwest Indiana Fertilizer Terminal

Superior Ag expects to unload 30 to 35 barges a year as part of a plan to create a dry fertilizer terminal on the Ohio River near Rockport, Ind.

The Indiana-based agricultural cooperative purchased the former Summit Terminal, located at Ohio River Mile 743.8, in January. The company is working with a civil engineer to design a 32,000-ton facility at the 18-acre site, making it one of the largest retail fertilizer distribution sites in the region.

The Rockport site purchase and upgrades constitute an investment of more than $20 million by Superior Ag. The facility will offer direct barge-to-truck unloading as well as storage, custom blending, retail sales and loadout. Construction is expected to begin in the spring and take 12 to 18 months.

“The construction of a dry fertilizer distribution facility on the Ohio River is a significant commitment that we have been carefully considering for several years,” said Richard Lloyd, president and CEO of Superior Ag. “This investment will play a pivotal role in enabling us to serve our customers more efficiently and profitably and drive the growth of our business, ultimately positioning us to best support the needs of farmers now and in the future.”

Superior Ag Agronomy Division Manager PJ Peter said the new facility will be ideally located for its customers along the Highway 231 corridor in southwest Indiana with direct access to the river.

“The majority of the fertilizer that we procure and handle for our farmer member customers comes via the river,” he said.

Products are shipped upriver from a variety of suppliers in the New Orleans area, and then they are stored and blended on site.

The Rockport location will add both capabilities and efficiency as component products do not have to be shipped first to a storage facility at the Henderson County (Ky.) Riverport Authority, which had a limited number of bins for custom blending, and then trucked for retail sales, Peter said.

Instead, he said, the Rockport site will offer 10 bins, giving customers more options.

“As agriculture has evolved, we are handling more and more different products,” Peter said.

Farmers will be able to have their own trucks loaded with fertilizer, or fertilizer can be loaded onto Superior’s trucks and spread on farmers’ land using the company’s spreaders.

Superior Ag anticipates six employees working at the site, although company leaders expect 15 to 20 jobs in total will be added at the terminal, including both distribution truck drivers and on-site personnel.

Additionally, Superior Ag plans to retain its presence in Henderson, meeting customer needs on both sides of the river.

The purchase of the Rockport terminal allowed an opportunity to reinvest in conveyors and material-handling equipment, Peter said. However, for now, the company will not offer barge loading, only unloading, meaning existing terminal customers temporarily will not be served at the site.

The new facility will include a 600 ton-per-hour (TPH) barge receiving system capable of unloading one full barge in three hours, a 300 TPH truck receiving system with the ability to offload one truck in five minutes, 300 TPH blending and shipping capabilities allowing for the loading of one 25-ton truck in five minutes, and overhead weigh hoppers on scales to allow a seamless “dump-and-go” for outbound trucks.

Additionally, the facility will fully automate key processes, including treatment for stabilizers, micros, dust control and other systems to help ensure the highest product quality and efficiency.

“This is a state-of-the-art system that is going to set us up for decades to come and help us to be able to serve our farmers now and well into the future,” Marketing Communications Manager Chelsea O’Brien said.

Superior Ag has more than 2,700 members throughout southwestern Indiana, northern and central Kentucky and the bordering regions of Illinois.

Farmers are using bigger equipment today, and the new facility will help meet their needs by carrying a larger inventory and speeding load time and efficiency, Peter said.

Additionally, at customers’ request, Superior Ag will be able to use the new blending capabilities to add in micronutrients and cover crops such as clover, radishes, rye or winter wheat.

“Our local farmers are excited to see the investment come,” Peter said. “We have to grow with them to keep up with them.”