Pioneer Co-op recently announced an enormous investment of $10 million for a new Swift Current-based fertilizer plant.
Work has already begun west of Swift Current, just off the Trans-Canada Highway at the site of the new facility. It will be a 10,000-ton capacity flat bottom facility, capable of coating micronutrients onto the fertilizer.
It will be divided into a nine-bin partition, with two 50-ton loadout bins. These bins will be capable of loading and unloading semi trucks and trailers in under 15 minutes.
Darin Norleen, ag division manager for Pioneer Co-op, says this facility will create only a few jobs.
"We'll probably end up with three employees out there," said Norleen. "It's a fairly efficient model that is fairly automated, so it doesn't require a whole bunch of manpower."
The goal for this facility is to produce between 40,000 and 60,000 tons of fertilizer a year. The facility should be in operation by either November or December this year, pending any delays.
Anyone with concerns regarding the facility and smells can rest easy, as it will not carry an odour to the surrounding area. The only thing Norleen warned of was the possibility of some excess dust.