CLEARFIELD – Pennsylvania Grain Processing, LLC (PGP) has closed upon the purchase of a grain processing facility in Clearfield, Pennsylvania. The facility can process up to 40 million bushels of grain per year into 110 million gallons of ethanol and 330,000 tons of dry distiller’s grain with solubles. Ethanol is a renewable, cleaner burning, high-octane, domestic source of fuel that today meets 10 percent of U.S. gasoline demand. DDGS is a high-value animal feed.
PGP plans to have the facility back into production sometime during late June or early July. PGP expects to make a positive impact on the community while bringing new business opportunities to the region. The company has hired all of the plant’s previous employees and plans to hire additional employees for new positions. Apart from direct employment at the facility, some of those opportunities include supplying grain and services to the plant, rail and truck transportation, and a new source of ethanol and distiller’s grain for the marketplace.
“We are optimistic about PGP’s future and look forward to commencing production at the plant. As with any production facility, Pennsylvania Grain Processing will face challenges but also has many strengths and opportunities,” said Dan Meeuwsen, company manager. “We are committed to developing those strengths and opportunities to soundly position the facility for long term success.”
PGP is an affiliate of Zeeland Farm Services, Inc. (ZFS) , a 60 year old, diversified agricultural and transportation company headquartered in West Michigan. ZFS comprises four separate divisions: Zeeland Farm Services, Inc., Zeeland Farm Soya, Inc., Zeeland Freight Services, Inc., and Zeeland Food Services, Inc. ZFS’ wide array of specialty products and services include soybean processing, feed ingredients, grain marketing, a full-service elevator, ZFSelect® soybean seeds, Zoye® soybean oils, transportation and maintenance. Another affiliate of ZFS, Nebraska Corn Processing, LLC (NCP), owns and operates a facility that processes grain into ethanol and distiller’s grain in southwest Nebraska.
ZFS has taken innovative measures to be environmentally friendly, including running its soybean processing facility on renewable energy from a local landfill, co-generating renewable power and steam and building a LEED silver certified administration building.