DDGS movement to increase at Illinois grain facility

A Reddick, Ill., grain facility will deal more in distillers grains, among other changes, following a lease of the assets to Lansing Trade Group LLC. Nielsen Grain Co. turned over operations to Lansing following an agreement on July 15.

Lansing plans to expand the facility’s capacity and increase marketing alternatives for producers. The grain facility handles corn, soybeans, wheat, distillers grains and soybean meal. Lansing had done some business with the grain company before, including moving distillers grains as well as other products through the facility.  “We feel that moving forward we’ll be in a better position to expand that business,” Steve Speck, vice president of Lansing told EPM. “We’ll bring distillers grains into that facility and transload them into containers for further export through Chicago out to the West Coast.”

The company shut down operations briefly during the transition but planned to start accepting grain and grain products again on July 20. Lansing Transportation Services LLC will also start operating a trucking business in Reddick. The company will move grain, grain products and containers in the region. "Lansing has established a significant business in exporting agricultural products to the international community with significant volume originated from Nielsen Grain Company,” Speck said. “Lansing's lease of this facility and assumption of the trucking business will allow this business to continue to grow, providing north central Illinois agriculture with ongoing access to overseas markets.”

Lansing, a privately owned firm headquartered in Overland Park, Kan., was formed in 1931. It is today a national trading company that has grown beyond its roots in grain, into the energy market. The company has annual revenues of about $5 billion and trades whole grains, feed ingredients and energy products domestically and internationally.