USA, MT: MillerCoors to build a barley elevator in Power

MillerCoors will build a barley elevator in Power, bringing four full-time jobs to the community northwest of Great Falls, Montana, Great Falls Tribune reported on December, 18.

Construction will begin in early 2013 and be complete later that year.

The new elevator will also employ two part-time seasonal workers, it is reported.

MillerCoors has a barley elevator in Huntley just east of Billings, and it contracts with some third parties to handle its barley at other sites. The Power facility will be Miller Coors’ first company-owned elevator in northcentral Montana.

“It’s fantastic news,” said Power-area grain farmer Erik Somerfeld. “Any time you have another option when selling your grain, that’s a good thing.”

Additional local grain elevator facilities mean some farmers have less distance to haul, said Leonard Stone, a Geraldine-area farmer. Both Stone and Somerfeld are board members of the Montana Farmers Union.

“Grain prices are still set by world demand, but more options when it comes to selling is always good for the farmer,” Stone said.

“Brewers have recently been moving toward the use of more two-row malting barley,” said Lola Raska, executive vice president of the Montana Grain Growers Association. “MillerCoors coming into northcentral Montana, the heart of two-row malt barley production, is a great opportunity for our farmers to expand their malt barley acres and provide the highest quality ingredients for the nation’s beer.”

Rumors of the MillerCoors elevator have been circulating around the town of 190 for a couple of months, Somerfeld said.

“It’s been an open secret,” he said. “People are really excited. We’ve heard there may be up to 100 people employed during construction. The two bars in town are already talking about adding staff to handle bigger lunch crowds this summer. It’s a big deal.”

The two grain elevators in Power now are under private ownership, so the new MillerCoors facility will be the first buying grain in six years in Power, Somerfield said.

“The nearest elevator to Power now is the Mountain View Co-op in Collins,” he said.

MillerCoors will hold an informational open house on the Power Town Hall on Dec. 28.

19 December, 2012