Wilbur-Ellis increases tank capacity at Central Ferry location

COLFAX — Wilbur-Ellis Agribusiness has invested $4.5 million in three new million-gallon tanks to the distribution facility at Central Ferry.

The move increases the storage capacity from 500,000 gallons to more than 3.5 million gallons there.

“This is a significant investment for Wilbur-Ellis and re-confirms our commitment to our grower customers in the Inland Empire and Palouse,” Wilbur-Ellis Agribusiness Vice-President of Sales and Marketing Ryan Klaveano said.

The upgrade includes building three new million-gallon tanks for storage of urea ammonium nitrate and Thio-Sul, liquid fertilizer solutions and high-quality nitrogen and sulfur products, for the more than 500 growers in the region, he said.

Increasing capacity requires expanded rail access and service speed with shortened time frames from port delivery to growers’ fields.

The UAN and Thio-Sul products are flexible and versatile for mixing, and the upgraded facility now has the ability to blend them with micronutrients and other products, bringing customers the latest nutrition technology to improve yields and plant quality.

That means Wilbur-Ellis no longer needs to ship product for fertilizer blending.

“The newly created operational efficiencies will benefit growers in the Inland Empire and on the Palouse who grow more than 2 million acres of wheat, peas, lentils, garbanzo beans and other crops within a 100-mile radius of the facility,” company Pacific Northwest district sales manager Tim Watts said. “It will help us provide growers with opportunities for increased production and improved profitability.”

The Central Ferry terminal provides fertilizer products to the 10 Wilbur-Ellis retail locations.