CenDak invests in fertilizer

It's hard to miss the dry fertilizer plant that CenDak Cooperative is building just north of New Rockford. The 42-by-101 foot structure, which is currently under construction just north of town near the New Rockford Municipal Airport, will house a 2,500 ton fertilizer plant with six large bins to store dry fertilizer. There will be two 16-ton blenders on the south side of the facility, which CenDak's agronomy manager, Tony Jochim, says will allow a truck to be loaded in under 10 minutes. This new facility will broaden supply and services to area farmers, providing the needed speed and space that their patrons need.

"CenDak has made a conscious decision to buy local whenever possible, including the building supplies and sub-contractors to help stimulate the local economy," commented Jochim. He also said there will be opportunities for seasonal employment when the facility is fully operational.

Although they had hoped to have the facility in operation for this spring, cold temperatures late into the spring delayed the pouring of cement. Jochim said that Jesse Lesmeister of Lesmeister Construction, had his crew building walls in the heated shop. This way, the walls would be ready when the cement was poured. Even so, with the late spring, Jochim said they probably won't get to use the new facility this season.

CenDak Cooperative offers full agronomy, fuel, propane, and grain merchandising services with locations in New Rockford, Maddock, Harvey, Esmond, Sheyenne, Leeds and Niles. Their mission is to provide competitive value through service, product management and marketing.