agriculture: Landus Jefferson reopens in time for harvest

Special To The Jefferson Herald

The Landus grain facility has officially reopened and began accepting harvest grain last week.

This comes just a few months following the elevator explosion that left many questioning if the location would be ready in time for Fall.

“This took a lot of hard work and late nights to make possible,” said B.J. Hill, Location Lead at the Jefferson facility. “I am proud of this team for their hard work and commitment to our farmers, and grateful for the incredible support received from our contractors, our community, and first responders who helped us rebuild so quickly.”

For more than 120 days straight there has been someone on site at the location, including nights and weekends, to ensure this fast and safe recovery.
Farmers hauling into Landus in Jefferson should expect minimal impact this harvest and should not experience any difference in dumping speed. The site is running with three fully operational pits and will have increased drying capacity above what was available prior to the explosion.

“Today I was bringing a load of beans in and after the derecho we had last year, and then the way this spring started out with this explosion, I am feeling very fortunate that we have a plan to take our grain this year,” said Greene County farmer Randy Wittrock last Friday at Landus in Jefferson. “I think these guys have gone above and beyond in getting it ready.”

Wittrock, who farms south of Jefferson and has Carroll ties, has been a Landus farmer-member since 1978,

“Be thankful that we have this place to come and thank these guys everyday you come in,” he said. “This is close for me. This is convenient for me.”
Wittrock added, “It’s going to be a good harvest because we’ve got a good yield out there, Just be patient. Take your time and we’ll get through it.”

The location will run normal operational hours this harvest. Farmers can download the Landus app to check daily operating hour updates.

“The main message that I have to share today is we are really glad to be here and open and take grain for this harvest,” said Ethan Taube, Southwest Business Unit Lead for Landus. “Obviously it took a lot of work from the people in this area, the community included, to get us to where we are today. It should be a pretty minimal impact for out growers compared to a normal year.”

For more information about the Jefferson site, the local team can be reached at (515) 386-4144. Farmers can also contact the Landus GROW Solutions Center Team at any time at (515) 800 GROW.