The Official Newspaper for Foster County
The Official Newspaper for Foster County
An excavator from Scherbenske, Inc. of Jamestown digs the ground to the southeast of the Dakota Growers plant in early August. The Carrington facility is building a new grain grading lab and commercial scale in that location, which is designed to decrease the time commitment for farmers dropping their shipments.
A parcel of 6 1/2 acres of land, just to the southeast of Dakota Growers in Carrington, is the site for a brand-new expansion to the complex which promises to make shipment times much shorter at the facility.
Under construction at the site is a new 950 sq. ft. grain grading lab, and a 2,300 sq. ft. steel building which will house a 110-ft. commercial scale for weighing grain deliveries from farmers.
Jason Jarrett, Plant Manager of 8th Avenue Food and Provisions, the parent company of Dakota Growers, says that the project is currently in the final phases of completion.
"Validation and testing is scheduled to be complete in early September," said Jarrett. "The target date is September 26 for the system to be fully operational."
Jarrett says the new expansion, located just to the southeast of the main Dakota Growers terminal, will allow expanded area for trucks to stage while awaiting the grading, weighing and dumping processes.
"The addition of the scale improves efficiency for our grain handling systems, moving the weighment process away from our dump point, and reducing our unloading time approximately 40 percent," said Jarrett.
Because of that, he says, farmers will enjoy an improved process flow, which will reduce the total time spent onsite for deliveries.
A civil engineering plan was formulated by Interstate Engineering of Jamestown, which included several areas of infrastructure upgrades:
• Installation of new roads and improvement of existing roads, such as 11th Ave. N. which connects to the plant from the east,
• Installation of sewer, water, electrical, natural gas and other utilities, and
• Proper water management and drainage.
Scherbenske, Inc., also of Jamestown, is doing the excavation and grading work on site. They are one of 15 subcontractors engaged by Gateway Building Systems, the general contractor for the project.
By this week, Jarrett says that electrical and network connections should be completed at the expansion.
Dakota Growers Pasta Company opened its doors in 1993, and is Carrington's largest employer with over 200 total employees.
