Loading a 54-car train with grain in 1997, Robin Stene, manager of the Halstad, MN elevator, was thinking “there had to be a more economical way” as larger elevators throughout the country were filling twice the amount in less time at a cheaper cost.
Taking his own thoughts seriously, he and his board attended a Farmland conference in San Antonio, TX and another in Phoenix, AZ to gather information and ideas for a possible hub or terminal to be built for area elevators to maximize both shipping and profits.
After completing an export study in 1999, Stene and his board realized “we needed to build a rather large terminal in order to make it feasible and profitable.”
Area elevators were skeptical about the project, and Stene all but received hate mail as thoughts from the locals were centered on the new terminal taking profits away from the area’s small town elevators and filling the pockets of the new terminal.
Firmly believing in the dream of a terminal and partnership with area elevators, Stene forged ahead, contacting St Paul Bank Coops, Co Bank and Farm Credit Services, only to be turned down. CFA Cooperative Finance Association in Kansas City was a believer, and the go-ahead was given for construction.
Farmland Industries joined in partnership with Halstad Elevator and the offer stood for local elevators to join the Terminal LLC.
Several sites were contemplated south of Hillsboro, ND in 1998 and none chosen. While driving back to Halstad one afternoon, Stene spotted “the perfect building area” just off I-29 and Highway 200 where the overpass was wide enough for two railroad tracks.
Stene immediately leased land from the railroad, and Alton, ND, previous population of five with a small elevator and two homes, was now the official building site of mass proportions.
Stene and Mike Vigen of Vigen Construction in East Grand Forks rolled up their sleeves and designed the original facility for a one million bushel capacity facility at a cost of 9.2 million dollars.
Breaking ground in 2000, seven other elevators within a 50-mile radius quickly joined in after realizing the project wasn’t just a pipe dream of one local elevator manager, but a full scale terminal that would benefit all.
With Halstad being the majority shareholder, Hunter, Galesburg, Clifford, Reynolds, Eldrid, Luverne and Georgetown Elevators make up the LLC and board of directors.
Alton Grain Terminal was now a reality and opened its doors in January of 2001 with 10 full-time employees.
The largest single loading location on the BNSF, 110 car shuttles can be loaded in 10 to 15 hours.
With storage capacity of 4.4 million bushels, the average annual volume at Alton is 25 million bushels of soybeans, corn and spring wheat.
All inbound grain is sampled and graded by North Dakota Grain Inspection (a third party inspection service) before it’s unloaded at the terminal.
Most corn and soybeans are shipped to the Pacific Northwest for export while a few soybean trains transport to the Great Lakes markets. Other locations are St. Louis, Duluth, and various Minneapolis markets, as well as Gulf destinations.
Additions to the terminal were made in 2004 and again in 2008; future expansions are in the planning stages.
Built on the basis of integrity, professionalism and reliability, Alton has been the protégé for several other grain terminals throughout North Dakota since its completion in 2001.
Alton Grain Terminal’s profits flow back to the community and its patrons in dividends. Donations include Fire and Rescue, Lions Club and local school programs, including FFA, sports, music and the yearly junior class Close-Up Washington, DC trip.
An idea turned into reality and magnificent structure that can be seen for miles,
Robin Stene says “We built it and they came.”