Schiff Farms’ grain facility in Harrington, Delaware, was planned around a clear operational goal: move grain efficiently from truck to rail while creating storage capacity that could grow with the business. The facility handles barley, wheat, corn and soybeans and functions as both a transload site and a grain storage operation. For TAM Systems, the Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, company that designed the project and served as general contractor, the work centered on building a facility that could operate effectively in its first phase while still leaving the owner with a practical path for future expansion.“ The main purpose and goal was to be able to load rail cars at this facility,” said J.C. Norris, lead project engineer with TAM Systems.
That objective shaped the project from the first design conversations through the final phase completed in 2025. Grain Journal spoke with Norris and Dominic Englebert, business manager with TAM Systems, about the Harrington project, how the facility was phased and why the site layout was one of the most important parts of the design. TAM Systems supplied the material handling and storage equipment and also served as general contractor, giving the project team direct involvement in both the engineering and construction sides of the work.
Planning the Site
The Harrington project began as a greenfield facility. The original contract was signed in 2023, but the schedule was affected by permitting and railroad related issues before construction could fully move forward. Once the design work was complete, Schiff Farms signed a construction contract with TAM Systems, and the project moved into equipment ordering, foundation planning, electrical coordination and site construction.
The early design work included more than the first phase of construction. TAM Systems looked at the full site and developed a plan that outlined how the facility could grow over time. That included planning for additional storage, future wet receiving, drying capability, more hopper tanks and a second elevator. The goal was to make sure the first phase supported the facility’s immediate needs while still fitting into a larger plan of growth and expansion.
That kind of planning was especially important because the project developed quickly once construction began. Rather than redesigning each addition as a separate project, TAM Systems had already considered how later bins and handling equipment would connect back into the original receiving and loadout systems. “We always try to think about the future,” Norris said. “We try to make sure future additions are going to go well and get planned out correctly, so you don’t build yourself into a corner.”
Built in Three Phases
The facility was completed in three phases. Phase one included the receiving area, receiving building, bulk weigh system for loading rail cars, the elevator tower, the first 60-foot storage bin and two 30-foot 19 ring hopper tanks. Norris described that first phase as the heart of the facility because it established the receiving, conveying and loadout systems that later additions would use.
Phase two added a second 60-foot storage bin. Phase three added the first 105-foot storage bin, which Norris said holds about 500,000 bushels. Phases one and two were completed in summer 2025, and phase three was completed by the end of 2025. Because the later phases were already part of the larger layout plan, TAM Systems was able to price the additions quickly and keep the work moving when Schiff Farms was ready to proceed.
“Everything was pretty much already figured out,” Norris said. “So, when he was ready for this storage bin in phase two and this storage bin in phase three, we were able to price it right away and get a quote to him. He was able to sign it and act quickly and keep things moving along.”
The phased approach gave Schiff Farms added capacity without changing the overall direction of the site. Each phase tied back into the receiving and loadout infrastructure established at the beginning, which helped the facility grow in a more organized way. By the end of 2025, the site had moved from its first operating core into a larger storage and transload facility with additional room still available for future development.
A Layout Built to Grow
One of the most important design decisions was the placement of the storage bins. Norris said the main storage bins are aligned in a row, but they are offset on an angle so larger bins can be added as the site develops. That arrangement allows the operation to use the available space efficiently while preserving room for future storage and maintaining practical conveying and reclaim paths. “We actually have everything lined up straight in a line, but they’re offset on an angle so we could accommodate larger bins as we went down the line,” Norris said.
The team also adjusted the spacing between the second 60-foot and the 105-foot bins. Norris shared that originally the bins were planned closer together, but TAM Systems spaced them apart an additional 20 feet and added a catwalk support tower. That adjustment created additional space for the electrical building while simultaneously establishing a starting point for a future second row of 105-foot bins.
The future plan also includes wet storage tanks, a commercial tower dryer, a second elevator and additional hopper tanks that could be used for storage and blending before rail loadout. Norris explained that those additions would connect back into the broader site plan rather than requiring a complete redesign. “We have it planned out for lots of future storage and also for drying capabilities and wet receiving.”
Moving Grain Through the Facility
The facility receives trucks at 10,000 bushels per hour through the receiving conveyor, which feeds the main bucket elevator. From the elevator, grain can move to the hopper tanks, the first 60-foot bin, the second 60-foot bin or the larger 105-foot storage bin through fill conveyors. The two 60-foot bins reclaim through tunnel conveyors back to the elevator, while the hopper tanks reclaim back to the receiving conveyor so grain can return to the elevator system.
The elevator also feeds the bulk weigh system used to load trucks and rail cars. A C&A Scales bulk weigh system was included in the project, with the broader facility controls provided by NOREC Automation. Norris said the site includes local HMI controls in the receiving area for truck drivers unloading grain, as well as another HMI in the bulk weigh office, where the plant can be operated from one central location.
Norris confirmed that the electrical building that houses controls was something TAM Systems coordinated foundation design, electrical service, automation planning and equipment approvals as part of the construction process. Soil testing was completed before the foundations were designed, and electrical service had to be brought to the site as part of the greenfield build.
Engineering the Work
Englebert has been with TAM Systems for nearly 18 years and began with the company as a field employee, working as a crane operator and millwright before moving into project management, purchasing, sales and company leadership. He now serves as business manager and continues working with key customers, including Schiff Farms.
Norris joined TAM Systems in 2020 after graduating from Penn State University with a degree in agricultural engineering. He started with farm system design, spent time learning how systems were assembled in the field and later moved into larger commercial grain handling, feed mill, soybean processing and transload projects. That background helped guide his work on the Harrington facility, where the design had to balance immediate operation with future phases.
The project required TAM Systems to think through how each component would function on its own and how it would connect to later additions. Receiving capacity, storage placement, reclaim tunnels, rail loadout, electrical location and automation all had to work within the current facility while leaving the site open for future equipment. That long-term view became one of the defining parts of the project.
Supporting Regional Grain Movement
The Harrington facility gives Schiff Farms a rail-connected grain handling site designed for both transloading and storage. By receiving trucks at 10,000 bushels per hour and routing grain through a system built around rail loadout, the facility adds freight flexibility for grain movement in the Delmarva region. It also gives the operation room to add more storage, drying and blending capacity as needs change.
This project reflects the importance of planning beyond immediate needs. The facility’s current storage and handling systems are only part of the broader layout, but the early decisions around bin placement, conveying paths and electrical infrastructure created a framework for continued growth. What Schiff Farms has in Harrington now is a working transloading and storage facility, the next stages already in mind.