“We are definitely excited about our ATS tank and terminal loading site,” Shawn Campbell, the former plant manager, said in March 2022 when the new facility was celebrated with a ribbon cutting conducted by the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance Ambassadors.

The ATS he referred to is an abbreviation for ammonium thiosulfate, a kind of fertilizer rich in sulfur. It is a new product for the local plant that will be offered in addition to the nitrogen rich fertilizer that has been its primary product.

The ATS fertilizer is a liquid that is shipped in trucks. Most of it is sold to cooperatives.

Construction of the ATS facilities began in 2021 and finished in December 2021 or January 2022.

Adding the ATS product is part of a larger $140 million investment in the plant. The upgrades will boost yearly production by 85,000 tons, according to the company.

The plant is located along Webster County road D20 between Fort Dodge and Duncombe. It opened in the 1960s, and was originally owned by Farmland Industries. Today it employs about 90 people and operates 24 hours a day.