Richardson International's Prairie grain elevator and ag inputs wing has booked $25 million in improvements and expansions to be completed at nine facilities by year's end.

The Winnipeg company on Tuesday said this round of investments at its Richardson Pioneer facilities will include eight projects at fertilizer distribution sites and an expansion of its grain elevator at Weyburn in Saskatchewan's rain-soaked southeast.

At Weyburn, Richardson plans to add 14,000 tonnes of grain storage capacity and a 200-tonne per hour fertilizer blending tower. The capacity upgrade would boost Richardson Pioneer's total grain capacity at Weyburn to about 35,700 tonnes.

At Estevan, also in Saskatchewan's southeast, Richardson plans to add a 6,000-tonne capacity fertilizer shed with a 200-tonne per hour blending tower.

Among the other projects, all scheduled for completion by December, are:

• a 20,000-tonne fertilizer storage shed with rail receiving at the company's Dunvegan facility at Rycroft, Alta.;
• a new chemical warehouse, new office and a 200-tonne per hour fertilizer blender at Nobleford, Alta.; and
• fertilizer blending towers, all with 200-tonne per hour blending capability, at the company's sites at Lamont, Morinville and Strathmore, Alta., Yorkton and Strasbourg, Sask., and Grandview, Man.

Richardson's vice-president for agribusiness operations, Darwin Sobkow, said in a release the company plans to continue such improvements at its sites while acknowledging "every year presents its challenges, as we've seen this year with excess moisture in some key growing areas."

The company expanded its grain handling reach in Saskatchewan's east earlier this spring when it paid $25 million for the independent North East Terminal at Wadena, where it plans another $3 million in facility improvements.

The company said it viewed the NET deal as complementary to its Richardson Oilseed canola processing plant at Yorkton.