Now it’s time to look forward.

“Our Klemme facility incurred storm damage in September that greatly affected our ability to serve our members and clients in that area,” said Keith Heim, CEO of MaxYield, which is headquartered in West Bend. “We made what modifications we could so we could get through harvest, but we knew it wasn’t feasible to operate this location beyond 2019 without significant upgrades to the facility.”

In December, MaxYield’s board of directors approved numerous grain facility upgrades at the Klemme location. The $4.5 million project, which is expected to be completed in time for the 2020 harvest, will begin when spring weather allows. Investments will include a 105-foot-diameter grain bin that can hold approximately 750,000 bushels of grain. The upgraded Klemme grain complex will also include a 4,000-bushel-per-hour grain dryer, wet-corn holding capacity, overhead truck load-out capability and all the infrastructure needed to complete the project.”

“Our strong balance sheet allows us to move forward with several significant projects in 2020,” Heim said. “This is an excellent upgrade for our Klemme area members and clients, and we’re excited to get started on the project this spring.”

-Submitted photo
MaxYield’s board of directors recently approved the construction of a new grain storage bin, grain dryer and grain handling infrastructure in Klemme. The $4.5 million project will be completed prior to harvest 2020.

New Britt seed warehouse offers efficiency, convenience

Founded in 1915, MaxYield serves members and clients in northern Iowa and southern Minnesota. Re-investing into the business is one of the keys to keeping the cooperative strong, Heim said.

MaxYield has invested in a number of capital projects in recent years, including a modern seed warehouse along Highway 18 on the west edge of Britt. MaxYield purchased this existing facility in 2019.

“This has made everything much more efficient,” said Matt Keel, a MaxYield seed solutions specialist. “This seed facility is easy to access and offers room to grow.”

The Britt facility includes office space, a seed warehouse, four bulk bins and a USC-brand seed treater.

“We’ve doubled our seed business in MaxYield’s east region in the last five years and had outgrown all our existing seed facilities in Garner,” Keel said. “We needed to start looking at options.”

MaxYield began evaluating the Britt seed facility during the summer of 2018, when co-op team members found out it might be available from the private entity who owned it. By October 2018, MaxYield started leasing the facility, which includes 17,000 square feet of warehouse space, along with bulk bins and seed treating equipment.

Discussions about buying the facility continued, and MaxYield closed on the deal in early January 2019.

“These modern facilities were move-in ready,” Heim said. “This has been a good addition for us.”

The time was right for this move, Heim added. “We’d been operating our east region’s seed business out of three buildings in Garner, including one that was a leased. Having three buildings made us less efficient, and we would have had to build something sooner or later. Our team is excited to have this new facility in Britt.”

While modern facilities are essential to success in today’s fast-paced seed industry, so is the support provided by the MaxYield Seed team.

“It’s all about knowledge and putting this know-how to work for each client’s specific needs,” Keel said.

Team members like Keel specialize in seed and agronomy. This allows them to focus on the latest seed technologies and help clients find the right solutions for their acres.

“The work is never dull, because no two years are ever alike in this business,” Keel said.

The Britt seed facility played a key role during the 2019 growing season and will continue to support MaxYield’s growing seed business.

“This investment shows MaxYield’s optimism in the future,” Keel said. “It’s just the start of more good things to come.”