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Cargill AgHorizons, a
business unit of Cargill, Incorporated, is a customer-focused
organization working to bring product and service solutions to
producers. With 142,000 employees in 61 countries, the company
is committed to using its knowledge and experience to
collaborate with customers to help them succeed. In 2006,
Cargill identified the need to store at least 1.5 million
bushels of corn at the AgHorizons site in Shelton, Nebraska.
Considering this tremendous need, Cargill looked to the
fertilizer industry to identify various products being used
for high volume storage purposes. This is how the relationship
between Cargill and fabric covered buildings began.
Matt Richardson is the FSG
Operations Leader for Cargill AgHorizons in south central
Nebraska. “The two main reasons we chose a fabric covered building
is because of the clear-span space and the ease of
installation,” says Richardson. The fact that the fabric
covered, steel truss
building offered a permanent storage solution and would allow
operation in any environment, including wind, rain or snow,
was an instant attraction. Cargill decided to purchase a 160'
wide by 600' long (48.7m x 182.8m) fabric covered, steel truss
building
with an 8' (2.4m) wall to store 1.5 million bushels of corn.
Previously, Cargill had
been using large bunkers with concrete or wood walls covered
with tarps to store large volumes of commodities. “In the past
we always had grain condensation issues where mold forms on
the corn,” says Richardson. “The purchase of a fabric covered,
steel truss
building is a permanent solution without the cost of a steel
structure.”
Compared to a steel
building, fabric covered, steel truss buildings offers clear-span space, whereas a
conventional building requires additional support poles. These
support poles get in the way when maneuvering large machinery
around within a building. As well, installation of a fabric
covered, steel truss building
building is typically much faster. “The fabric building
took just ten days to go up and it was simple to construct,”
says Richardson. “The entire project was 2.5 months and it
would have been at least double the time frame for a
conventional building to be part of the project.”
“The two main reasons we chose a
fabric covered, steel
truss building is
because of the clear-span space and the ease of
installation.”
- Matt
Richardson, FSG Operations Leader
Cargill is planning to install a portable conveyor to be used
when filling the building with corn and will use a tractor and
portable auger to reclaim the corn by truck. “This was a fun
project,” says Richardson. “It is the first in our division
and we are looking forward to seeing how it works out. This
building gives us big space that is affordable.”
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Cargill AgHorizons Corn Storage Facility,
Shelton, NE. 160' wide x
600' long
Fabric Covered, Steel Truss Building

"The
fabric covered building took just ten days
to go up
and it was simple
to construct," says Matt.

Installation of the
fabric covered building
took just ten days.

1.5 million bushels of corn will be stored
at the Cargill AgHorizons Facility.
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