A Great Lakes shipping facility built only a year ago is looking to expand export opportunities for farmers.
The DeLong company opened a new bulk commodity loading facility last year at the Port of Milwaukee, and in its first season, shipped mostly dried distillers grains, but Senior Trade Manager Brian Arnold tells Brownfield one load of soybean meal went to the United Kingdom. “The feed products have the majority come from Wisconsin but then the balance has been served by rail from Iowa and Minnesota.”
Pat Mullooly with the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board is encouraged by what the bulk shipping plant could mean for soybean and soybean meal exports, especially if the planned CHS Evansville, Wisconsin crush plant becomes a reality. “It’s closer, less transportation costs, but also gives them an opportunity to send grocery ships out of here, so maybe some distillers grains, some meal, some raw beans, some corn, whatever other products. It’s an advantage over the other parts of the world that might be shipping into those other European countries.”
Members of the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board toured the DeLong site and Quality Roasting, a soybean processor in Valders as part of their See for Yourself Tour Tuesday.