Boosting speed and space: Farmers benefit from upgrades at Scoular facilities in Kansas

OVERLAND PARK, Kansas (Aug. 30, 2022) – Major upgrades at a pair of Scoular grain handling facilities in Kansas will boost unloading speeds and expand storage capacity for farmers and customers in time for fall harvest. 

Scoular has made substantial investments at its Coolidge facility in western Kansas and at its Pratt facility in south-central Kansas. At Coolidge, increased production of white wheat in southwest Kansas helped drive the need for more capacity. At both facilities, increased yields and robust demand for the corn, wheat and other grains they handle drove the upgrades. Wheat yields in Kansas, for example, have averaged 43 bushels per acre the past decade, up 10 percent from the decade prior. Improved seed genetics are a key factor. 

TJ Mandl, Regional Manager in south-central Kansas, oversees the Pratt operation and Derek Spears, Regional Manager in western Kansas, oversees Coolidge. Both provide leadership crucial to Scoular’s growth and led the expansion projects. 

 “TJ and Derek are outstanding leaders and they and their teams have done an excellent job serving our customers,” said Ron Bingham, Scoular Senior Vice President and Grain Division Manager based in Overland Park. “The upgrades demonstrate our commitment to improving speed, space and efficiency for customers and we are proud we can serve them even better, especially during the busy harvest time.” 

At Pratt, the upgrade: 

• Expands total storage capacity to 5.5 million bushels. 
• Boosts grain unloading speed by 30 percent with an additional high-speed receiving leg. 
• Adds a third grain receiving pit, boosting unloading speed and efficiency. 

• Enables the facility to continue to efficiently provide feedstock to partner Pratt Energy for ethanol production, while growing the Scoular facility’s overall capabilities. 

At Coolidge, the upgrade: 

• Expands total storage capacity to 6.5 million bushels. 
• Boosts grain unloading speed by 30 percent with an additional high-speed receiving leg. 
• Adds a fifth grain receiving pit, boosting unloading speed and efficiency. 

Both the Coolidge and Pratt facilities are strategically located on railroad mainlines – Coolidge on BNSF and Pratt on Union Pacific – providing customers with efficient access to regional, domestic and export markets. The upgrades follow major improvements completed earlier this summer at Scoular’s facility in Adrian, Missouri. All three facilities are part of Scoular’s Midwestern grain handling network that includes over 50 facilities in Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska.