Advancing Your Grain Handling Needs
Farmward Cooperative has always equipped local farmers with all the grain handling support they need. Keeping up with that commitment, we continue to expand and upgrade our grain handling facilities across Southern Minnesota.
Modern Grain Elevators for Modern Farmers
At the forefront of agricultural innovation, we are dedicated to building modern grain elevator systems to meet the evolving needs of farmers. Our commitment keeps your operation efficient, scalable, and ready for the future.
Danube Project
Phase I (Completed)
The first phase of the Morgan Grain Elevator marks a significant advancement in grain handling. Designed to meet the growing demands of modern farming, this state-of-the-art facility offers faster, more efficient processing for farmers.
- Capacity: Over 3 million bushels of storage.
- Efficiency: 25% faster grain processing with 20,000 bushel/hour receiving pits.
- Drying Capacity: 7,500 bushels/hour to handle high-volume drying needs.
- Design: Custom-built to improve traffic flow and accommodate larger equipment.
- Convenience: Direct access to supply the feed mill 24/7.
Enhanced Workflow: More room for truck staging to streamline deliveries.
Phase II (Ongoing)
Expanding capacity and adding automation to improve operational performance. In April 2025, we poured the foundation for the new bulkweigher tower as part of Phase 2 of the Morgan project.
- Additional Capacity: 1.5 million bushels
- Automation: Advanced grain handling systems
- Completion: Expected by Q4 2025
Our Partners in the Morgan Project
- Schaefer Construction, New Ulm (Derek MacHolda, Morgan & Ryan Bauer, New Ulm)
- Joe Guttum Carpentry LLC, Springfield
- Sleepy Eye Electric, Sleepy Eye
- Kerkhoff Plumbing and Heating, Morgan
- Mathiowetz Construction, Sleepy Eye
- Bloemke Construction, Morgan
- TNT Construction, Morgan
- North Star Scales, Ormsby
- Clements Lumber, Springfield
- American Engineering & Testing, Marshall
- City of Morgan
Stay Fueled
The Danube Grain Elevator project is focused on modernizing and expanding facilities to handle increasing grain volumes with enhanced efficiency. With these upgrades, we are committed to supporting farmers with the latest in grain storage and handling technology.
- Capacity Expansion: Adding 1.65 million bushels of storage.
- Automation: Advanced sorting and handling systems for faster operations.
- Efficiency: Two 25,000 bushel-per-hour receiving pits and a 50,000 bushel-per-hour transfer conveyor.
- Sustainability: Incorporating energy-efficient features throughout the facility.
Design: Four concrete slipform silos and three interstice bins for optimized storage.
Project Gallery
Danube Project
◎ June 27, 2025
The large project of the slip form pour has taken underway this week. This extensive project was 5 days long as the crew worked around the clock in two 12 hour shifts with 150 workers each shift to complete the project on time. this large task can not stop and works through sunshine, rain, or any other conditions thrown at them. Huge shout out to SMA Design Build for getting this done! Check out the photos below taken from the weeks progress!
◎ June 10, 2025
Progress continues at our Danube construction site as preparations for the next major phase take shape. Much of the new material handling equipment has arrived and is staged in the laydown yard, alongside the slipform rebar positioned near the crane. The four concrete silos are being prepped for slipform construction, with the slipform deck now in place. This deck features six main steel I-beams, with each silo being joisted and decked using wood. Crews will remain on the deck for 12-hour shifts once the slip begins, utilizing on-deck break shacks for efficiency and safety. The decking process is well underway, and several key components of the new APEX structural bridges and towers are also now visible on site. The slipform itself is being assembled with yokes—steel legs that carry the entire structure as it rises—and vertical wooden posts that support lighting and a water level system used to ensure the structure remains level throughout the pour. We’re excited to see this project taking shape and look forward to continued progress in the weeks ahead.
◎ May 14, 2025
Recently, SMA began pouring the pile cap—a 3-foot-thick concrete slab containing approximately 2,455 cubic yards of concrete. This foundational structure includes sumps where grain will pass through into the reclaim conveyors below. The pour also covered areas including truck receiving pits and tunnel decking, which will support a future concrete roof. Preparations are underway for the next phase, with slipform rebar already being staged on-site.
The foundation will ultimately support four new concrete silos. Flat Rate Concrete Pumping used two 56-meter pumps to place the 2,500 cubic yards of concrete, supported by over 450,000 pounds of rebar. Duininck Ready Mix supplied the concrete with a fleet of 48 trucks running from 2:30 AM to 4:00 PM to ensure a continuous flow.
◎ April 25, 2025
Construction is moving steadily on the silo site. The piling drill rig is currently wrapping up the final 150 of 550 total piles on the west side of the jobsite. On the east side, all 16” diameter x 55’ deep auger cast piles are now in place, with 275 piles visible in the east half of the silos. The pile cap, currently being formed, will be 3 feet thick, reinforced with 400,000 lbs of rebar, and will include 2,500 cubic yards of concrete, scheduled to be poured on May 13. Also visible are the bucket elevators extending from the boot pit and the two truck receiving pits, where grain trucks will eventually unload corn and soybeans. The silos will be the next major focus once the pile cap is complete.
◎ April 4, 2025
We’re excited to share progress on our project as the reclaim tunnels are now fully decked and ready for the next phase. The team is preparing to pour the pile cap and lay the foundation for the truck receiving area.
In addition, we’ve mobilized the auger cast piling rig, which will begin drilling on Monday, April 7th. The work will involve drilling 550 auger cast piles, each 16 inches in diameter and 55 feet deep, to provide crucial support for the new silos.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to make progress on this critical phase of the project!
◎ March 24, 2025
Everything highlighted in green is complete and awaiting backfill and piling to begin. As of today, we’re very close to finishing the backfilling process. Inside the fenced area, the truck receiving basement walls are beginning to take shape, and we'll be focusing on that work for the next two weeks. Stay tuned for more updates!
◎ March 24, 2025
Below ground reclaim tunnels and boot pit are shown, with work underway on the truck receiving tunnel and pit at the bottom of the image, where crew members in hi-vis are working. The reclaim tunnel in the center is being shored and braced, with the next steps being waterproofing and backfill. On the left, the crew is forming up the truck receiving tunnel in preparation for concrete pours later this week.
◎ March 17, 2025
We’re making significant progress on our grain handling system! The three photos showcased represent the concrete reclaim tunnel walls located beneath the concrete silos. These tunnels will play a crucial role in the system, as we will be installing conveyors within them to efficiently reclaim grain from the silos.
◎ March 8, 2025
As the Danube grain project continues to progress with favorable weather conditions, here are some updates. These pictures show the below-ground reclaim tunnel, which will be located beneath the new concrete silos. The two boxes with green walls are the south and north boot pits, where the new bucket elevators will be installed. The green on the walls of the boot pits is waterproofing. Check back for updates in the coming weeks as things begin to take shape!
◎ March 1, 2025
◎ February 11, 2025
At Farmward Cooperative, we are committed to evolving with our growers while staying true to our mission of “Advancing farming for generations.” To meet increasing demands, we are excited to announce the expansion of our Danube grain facilities—enhancing efficiency, increasing capacity, and strengthening our agricultural community.
This project will improve operational efficiency, accelerate grain intake, enhance rail loading, and expand storage to support modern farming. The upgrades include four concrete slipform silos with three interstice bins, adding 1.65 million bushels of storage, along with two 25,000 bushel-per-hour receiving pits and a 50,000 bushel-per-hour transfer conveyor connecting to the existing facility.
At Farmward, we take pride in investing in the future of our growers and communities. Additional project enhancements will be announced in the coming months to ensure the expansion best serves the needs of this location. We appreciate your support and invite you to follow our website and social media pages for updates as this project takes shape.
John Husk
CEO
Morgan Project
Phase I (Completed)
The first phase of the Morgan Grain Elevator marks a significant advancement in grain handling. Designed to meet the growing demands of modern farming, this state-of-the-art facility offers faster, more efficient processing for farmers.
- Capacity: Over 3 million bushels of storage.
- Efficiency: 25% faster grain processing with 20,000 bushel/hour receiving pits.
- Drying Capacity: 7,500 bushels/hour to handle high-volume drying needs.
- Design: Custom-built to improve traffic flow and accommodate larger equipment.
- Convenience: Direct access to supply the feed mill 24/7.
Enhanced Workflow: More room for truck staging to streamline deliveries.
Phase II (Ongoing)
Expanding capacity and adding automation to improve operational performance. In April 2025, we poured the foundation for the new bulkweigher tower as part of Phase 2 of the Morgan project.
- Additional Capacity: 1.5 million bushels
- Automation: Advanced grain handling systems
- Completion: Expected by Q4 2025
Project Gallery
Morgan Project
◎ April 11, 2025
We poured the foundation for the new bulkweigher tower as part of Phase 2 of the Morgan project. The bulkweigher is designed to weigh grain in a continuous flow, which will feed directly into the new feed mill. Prior to excavation, sheet piling was installed to safeguard the foundation of the existing westernmost bin.
◎ January 1, 2025
TNT is currently working with Farmward on the demolition of the old wood elevator. At this stage, the manlift has been successfully wired, though it remains non-operational as we are awaiting an electrical inspection.
We anticipate that construction will pick up again once the weather improves, likely around the end of March. We’ll continue to keep our stakeholders informed and look forward to resuming work as soon as conditions permit. Stay tuned for further updates.
◎ November 22, 2024
The second phase will now focus on feeding grain to the feed mill. They have started demo on the material handling equipment and bridges with the old wood annex and house. We are hoping to have all the demo done this week (weather depending) and have the temporary corn transfer system set up before thanksgiving. After the demo and foundation removal of the wood elevator (contracted with with Tim at TNT) depending on weather/winter we will start on the new foundations for phase 2 of the project.
◎ November 18, 2024
Check out the timelapse video of the completion of phase 1 on the Morgan Grain Elevator Project! Sent to us by Schaefer Contracting LLC.
◎ October 4, 2024
We are busy getting everything fine tuned, as we monitor equipment each day now that we are running and making adjustments where needed. Control staff is continually bringing automation online. The facility is receiving beans in bins 302 and 303 and corn in bins 301 and 304, and the dryer has been test fired and was filled with dry corn yesterday! Fans are installed and running on both bean bins. Crews are working on the remaining bins. The 105 is built and crews are working on installing the sweep and finishing up aeration, and we plan to set the remaining bridge to the 105 early next week when the weather allows. The spouting to go into bin 17 is close to being completed. Crews have started demo on Morgan east.
◎ September 23, 2024
The new elevator will be receiving soybeans soon! We have test ran equipment to bins that are available, and things are running well. We dumped our first test truck load of beans today! The receiving building is up and will have overhead doors next month. Bin crews have started building the new 105’ we are happy to get the last bin up for this year. A new natural gas line has been put in to supply the new dryer. We will be test firing the dryer soon and hope to have it operational by early October. We have also recently completed a fiberoptic project connecting all the different buildings and areas of the Morgan facilities together. Phase two will be done after the wood house has been demoed.
◎ August 19, 2024
Crews have been keeping busy on the Morgan project. Notably, the three main receiving legs have been installed along with the top section of the main tower, the tower dryer has been erected and the last bin foundation is now complete. Xcel has installed their transformer but we are waiting on their meter and hope to have permanent power soon. Many of the bridges have been set along with fill conveyors and spouting. We have been pouring slabs around the main office/tower and will soon be finished with concrete until next year after the wood house is gone. We have poured just under 4,000 yards so far! During the next weeks you can expect to see the last bin being built, more towers, bridges and equipment being installed along with the receiving building.
◎ July 3, 2024
June was a productive month for the Morgan project. We have successfully moved both 90’ and 78’ bins from the east facility to their new foundations and finished erecting the 60’ wet bin and new 90’ bin. Crews started excavating and pouring concrete for the last 105’ bin, we are now over 3,000 total yards of concrete poured. Many intermediate towers have been stood and we have continued building the remaining sections of the main tower. We will be setting bridges very soon! The concrete control & electrical building has recently been finished giving our electrician a home to start installing electrical equipment. Xcel Energy is scheduled to install the new electrical service the week following the 4th giving the site permanent power. During the month of July, you will also see the tower dryer being built.
◎ May 20, 2024
The construction crews have become experts at pumping water out of the site as rain has come and gone frequently over the past month. With spots of favorable weather, the crew has made great strides in progress. Below are just a few of the updates to the site. For anyone driving through Morgan, you will now see progress move upward with physical structures taking place above ground.
Foundations for the 78' bin, 60' wet bin, and 90' bin are slated to be poured today. The electrical MCC room is framed and formed along with the main receiving deck poured with concrete. Onsite, you will notice the Crawler crane is assembled and will begin placing leg tower sections and support tower sections in place. The Crawler crane has a reach of over 200 feet! The bin moving is slated to occur mid-June.
◎ April 30, 2024
90' bin tunnel walls were poured along with a 90' bin tunnel foundation. The crew is working on backfill and the millwright crews will start assembling the main tower. In addition, Schaefer Contracting invited OSHA onsite for a consultation visit. Inviting OSHA during the process helps ensure a safe site during construction and safe features post-construction.
Safety and automation will be a key feature of this new elevator. The technology upgrades allow for real time temperature sensors and tracking data to prevent unnecessary breakdowns and extend the operational lifetime of the equipment. The automation will help the elevator run more efficiently, safely, and with less labor required to operate, which will free up employees' time to assist in other areas as needed. All of the new grain bins will also feature "zero entry bin sweeps" which will allow employees to sweep the grain in the bin without the need to enter the bin while sweeps are running. This will greatly reduce the employees time spent in the grain bins and eliminate the potential for injuries and engulfment.
◎ April 1, 2024
With a mild March, construction progress remained steady. Truck receiving walls are slated to be poured along with plans to start excavating the two 90' bins.
◎ March 18, 2024
As a cooperative, we strive to be a local anchor by creating opportunities for stable jobs, high industry standards, and positive economic effects in all communities we serve. We are proud to work with many local and regional contractors in our construction project at the Morgan elevator. Below are some of the companies we want to highlight that are working to enhance the Morgan elevator, invest in our communities, and provide modern facilities and cutting-edge equipment for our customers. We are advancing farming for generations.
- Schaefer Construction – New Ulm (Derek MacHolda, Morgan & Ryan Bauer, New Ulm)
- Joe Guttum Carpentry LLC – Springfield
- Sleepy Eye Electric – Sleepy Eye
- Kerkhoff Plumbing and Heating – Morgan
- Mathiowetz Construction – Sleepy Eye
- Bloemke Construction – Morgan
- TNT Construction – Morgan
- North Star Scales – Ormsby
- Clements Lumber - Springfield
- American Engineering & Testing – Marshall City of Morgan
◎ February 28, 2024
The construction crews have been working hard the past few weeks and have been avoiding any delays due to unseasonably moderate temperatures and low precipitation. The crew is currently slightly ahead of schedule, and we hope that it gives us a good position as spring approaches.
The existing bean shed has been demolished and steel removed from the site. This allowed for excavation of the new main boot pit. The foundation for the main boot pit was poured on February 22, and the crews will form the structure for walls, and the concrete walls are expected to be poured around March 1. Mathiowetz construction has brought in approximately 500 truckloads of sand and will begin excavating the receiving pit this week. The receiving pit will feature 3 – 1,000 bushel receiving capacity pits totaling 60,000 bushels per hour. An upgrade from the current receiving capacity of 25,000 bushels per hour – we are excited to take grain at over double the previous receiving rate!
In addition to the bean shed demolition, the two smooth-walled “Clark” tanks have been demolished and the remaining concrete foundations will be removed in the coming week. By removing these tanks, it allows for bins from the east to be moved nearby.
As a reminder to any who are interested in checking out the progress, we ask that you do not enter the construction site. If there is interest in watching progress, we encourage all to park on the opposite side of Front Street or Vernon Ave along side streets. Please do not enter the construction site via Morgan Street, South Street, or entrances along Front Street. We appreciate your cooperation.
◎ February 1, 2024
Over the years, the agriculture industry has seen an increasing trend of higher yields, larger equipment, and a faster rate of harvesting crops. As Farmward Cooperative seeks to fulfill its mission of ‘Advancing farming for generations,’ an emphasis to cater the trending demands in agriculture is vital. Therefore, Farmward Cooperative is excited to announce the construction and expansion of the Morgan grain elevator.
The facility will be high-speed and convenient for customers. The elevator will feature 3-20,000 bushel/hour receiving pits with drying capacity of 7,500 bushels/hour. The project will feature over 3 million bushels of storage, improved traffic flow, provide more room for truck staging, and make grain deliveries more efficient for our growers and employees. The elevator will also have direct access to supply the feed mill 24/7.
Farmward Cooperative is proud to invest in the community of Morgan and our growers with the Morgan elevator project. The first phase of the elevator is slated to be done at the end of 2024.The second phase will focus on feeding grain to the feed mill. We invite you to follow along to view the progress of construction and a timeline on our website and social media.
John Husk
CEO
