A 272-day rebuild delivers high-capacity receiving, improved traffic flow and a facility designed for modern harvest demands.
For The Equity, expanding its grain footprint in southeastern Illinois was a strategic move rooted in long-standing customer relationships. When the cooperative acquired a four-location system in Clark County in mid-2024, it entered the market with an advantage. The existing agronomy and energy business had already established trust with local producers, allowing the grain division to scale quickly. That growth showed up immediately during the first harvest under new ownership, when the system handled an 11 percent increase in volume compared to previous years. The Westfield location, however, quickly revealed the limitations of aging infrastructure under modern harvest conditions.
The Collapse
Late in the evening on Dec. 28, 2024, those limitations became impossible to ignore. A bin failure at Westfield triggered a cascading collapse that damaged surrounding structures and brought operations to a halt. Much of the infrastructure dated back decades and was never designed to handle the speed and volume of today’s harvest equipment. As Mark Tarter, vice president of Grain at The Equity, explained, the facility had been pushed beyond what it could reasonably support, especially after high test weight corn and rapid intake.
From Incident to Decision Point
The immediate priority was safety and stabilization. Crews secured the site, shut down utilities and assessed the extent of the damage. By the following day, it was clear that the issue extended far beyond a single bin. More than 1 million bushels of grain had to be moved, and multiple structures would need to be removed. At that point, the decision shifted from short-term recovery to long-term strategy. The Equity had entered Clark County with the intent to serve local producers, and abandoning the site was not an option. Tarter emphasized that commitment, saying the cooperative did not acquire the facility to walk away from the farmers it serves, adding that the only viable path forward was to rebuild and do it correctly.
Managing Grain During Demolition
Before construction could begin, the cooperative faced the challenge of clearing the site while maintaining grain movement. With significant volumes already in the system and additional grain displaced by the collapse, The Equity relied on nearby rail facilities to keep product moving to market. Grain was transported to locations 16 and 37 miles away, allowing demolition work to proceed in phases as storage was emptied. This coordination between logistics and demolition was critical to keeping the project on schedule, especially with a fixed deadline driven by the next harvest season.
Planning Beyond Today’s Needs
From the outset, the rebuild was approached with a clear objective. The facility would not be replaced as it was. It would be redesigned to meet the realities of modern production agriculture, where harvest speed, truck capacity and grain quality place significantly greater demands on receiving systems than in previous decades. Tarter said the goal was not to rebuild for current conditions alone, but to anticipate future needs, explaining, “It had to build for farming in 2040 rather than 2025.”
That philosophy shaped every major design decision. One of the most visible changes is the transition from a single scale to a dual-scale configuration. This upgrade was driven by the need to improve traffic flow and reduce bottlenecks during peak harvest. The traffic pattern across the site was completely reworked, creating additional staging space and separating inbound and outbound movement. Trucks now move through the facility in a continuous flow, entering, weighing, dumping and exiting without unnecessary delays. The addition of RFID technology further streamlines the process by allowing drivers to receive tickets automatically as they leave the outbound scale.
Receiving Capacity Increased
Receiving capacity was another critical focus. The new facility is built around twin 20,000-bushel per –hour (BPH) dump pits supported by dual 20,000-bushel legs. This system is designed to match the pace of modern harvesting equipment, where high-capacity combines and larger trucks deliver grain at a rate that older facilities cannot sustain. “The system allows trucks to unload quickly and return to the field with minimal downtime,” Tarter said, noting that at full capacity, trucks can move across the pit at a rate of roughly one every three minutes.
Storage to Support Intake
Behind the receiving system, storage and handling infrastructure was expanded to support increased intake speed. The rebuild includes a new 105,000-bushel tank along with additional storage capacity designed to provide both flexibility and throughput. The system was engineered to ensure that grain can move efficiently from receiving to storage without creating internal bottlenecks, which is essential during peak harvest windows.
At the same time, not every system was designed for maximum capacity. Because the Westfield location does not load rail, outbound systems were sized based on truck loadout needs rather than peak harvest intake. Reclaim systems operating at 10,000 to 15,000 BPH feed overhead loadout tanks, allowing trucks to be filled efficiently during the marketing season. This approach reflects a deliberate balance between performance and cost, ensuring that investment is focused where it has the greatest operational impact.
The project also required adaptability as construction progressed. Geotechnical conditions at the site differed from initial expectations, requiring adjustments to foundation design and multiple change orders. Crews implemented ground improvements, including rock piers, to ensure long-term structural stability. At the same time, demolition and construction activities overlapped, with portions of the site still being cleared while new structures were being installed. This level of coordination required close collaboration between The Equity and Valley View Agri-Systems, particularly given the compressed timeline.
A Deadline that Doesn’t Move
That timeline was driven by a non-negotiable deadline. Harvest would begin regardless of construction progress. From the date of the collapse to the first truck dumped at the new facility, the entire project was completed in 272 days. Achieving that schedule required early equipment procurement, continuous communication and a willingness to make decisions quickly as conditions changed.
Beyond speed and capacity, the rebuild also emphasized flexibility in how the facility can be used. One of the existing flat storage buildings was retained and repurposed, demonstrating a practical approach to maximizing available space. While historically used for corn, the building was successfully used for soybean storage following the rebuild. This adaptability reflects a broader operational mindset focused on making the most of available assets to meet changing demands.
For local producers, the impact of the rebuild is immediate and measurable. Faster unloading, improved traffic flow and increased capacity reduce time spent waiting during harvest, allowing farmers to operate more efficiently during critical periods.
Beyond the Rebuild
The Westfield rebuild ultimately represents more than a response to a single event. It reflects a broader shift in how grain facilities must be designed and operated to remain viable. Older infrastructure that once served the industry well is increasingly unable to handle the demands of today’s production environment. As Tarter noted, “Facilities built for a different era cannot simply be pushed harder without consequences, and at some point, those limits will be reached.”
By rebuilding with a focus on speed, efficiency and long-term performance, The Equity has positioned its Westfield location to meet those demands. The result is a facility that not only replaces what was lost, but improves upon it in ways that will benefit both the cooperative and its farmer-owners for years to come.