Agribusiness giant Cargill acquired the rights to the land and grain handling assets of the incomplete Altra Nebraska ethanol facility in Carleton, Nebraska during an auction conducted by Maas Companies this week. Cargill will take possession of the assets effective November 4.
Construction on the Altra facility began in 2006 and was approximately half complete in November 2007 when work stopped after its owners were unable to secure additional financing.
The facility is located near the existing Cargill AgHorizons grain handling facility and regional Farm Service Group leader Robert Racek says the new asset will complement Cargill’s existing grain handling capabilities. “This facility is a valuable asset to the entire region, and we intend to invest further in optimizing its value for our producer customers,” said Racek. “While we will have to make additional enhancements to the facility to make it fully operational, we are determined to leverage this opportunity to offer more flexibility to area crop producers in terms of the delivery, storage, handling and marketing of their grain.”
Cargill AgHorizons’s regional Aksarben farm service group also operates grain handling facilities in Albion, Lincoln, O’Neil, and Ord, Neb., as well as Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Coming up in November, the Minnesota-based Maas Companies will be conducting an auction of 60 million gallons worth of biodiesel-producing equipment at a location in New Jersey. The Greenline Industries equipment is currently in storage and is based on the technology developed and operating in Germany.