Coal Creek Drying and Storage makes room for boom
By Michael Johnson, Editor
Coal Creek Drying and Storage LLC, a 600,000 bushel capacity corn drying and storage facility by the Blue Flint Ethanol Plant near Underwood, was constructed just a year ago. Just last week, crews were pouring the foundation for another 550,000 bushel grain bin to keep up with a boom in the corn production in the area. Blue Flint Ethanol commodity manager Dave Spickler said despite what seemed to be a slow year for growing, North Dakota is showing a 12 percent increase in corn acreage. More goods news is that that corn has caught up and is looking like it will be a very good harvest. “The potential is excellent yield,” Spickler said. More good news is that corn prices are at record levels for this time of year, Spickler said. At just under $7 a bushel the price is more than double that of last year at this time. There’s really nothing to frown about for the ethanol plant that is benefiting from the nearby drier and storage facility. Lines form early by the ethanol plant as area producers are unloading last year’s corn to make room for this year’s harvest. But it was at last year’s harvest that Blue Flint employees knew they needed even more storage.
