“Speed and space” is a common mantra within the grain industry, and it’s a serious investment when providing that for area farmers. Looking at what the members of Central Valley Ag needed now, and looking forward to what they will need in the future, CVA built a new grain facility north of Linn, Kan., to give them plenty of speed, space and markets – everything a farmer needs to grow.

Located at the intersection of highway 15 and 148 in Washington County, Kan., sits a brand new $10.6 million-dollar grain facility built with the producers’ needs in mind. 

 “Speed and space is key. Farmers are getting faster; nothing is slowing down. Bigger equipment. Bigger everything,” said Rusty Morehead, CVA regional operations manager. “We’ve realized we needed to start making some changes where we can take care of the producer the way that we need to be taking care of them.”

The Junction, named for its location at the junction of two highways, has a total capacity of 3.6-million-bushel storage that consists of 2.1 million in steel upright and 1.5 million in bunker space. The total handling capacity is 65,000 bushel per hour.

“The major part of our vision here is to grow with our farmers. Today, we just have the office and the grain facility, and currently adding anhydrous to this location. And the vision, certainly, is to bring liquid fertilizer and dry fertilizer to this same facility as we continue to grow with our farmers,” said Bryan Reichmuth, CVA Senior Vice President of Operations.

The anhydrous ammonia plant is scheduled to be completed in 2020 with plans of adding the liquid and dry fertilizer to the location in the next few years. A possible fuel site is also being considered for The Junction location.

By building a new facility of this size in the middle of dryland country shows CVA’s commitment to its member-owners. “It shows that we are here for the producer. It shows that we know what producers need in speed and space,” said Jarad Hammond, CVA location manager. “And it shows that, with the technology we put into this facility, we are going to be leaders in the co-op industry.”

One such technology is the scale automation at The Junction. As the facility opened and prepared itself to start taking in grain with the 2018 fall harvest, CVA Scale Automation Cards were given out to members that correspond to their account. Upon driving up to the scale, farmers scan the card to begin the process.  The cards give CVA a quick, automatic and safe way to read and log trucks’ information, keeping up with the cooperative’s goal to have its members spend as little time at the elevator, and as much time back in the field as possible.  

“Our relationship with our producers is what made us build this. That’s how we knew we needed to do something in this area,” said Morehead. “We try to adapt and make those changes to take care of the people we serve.”

On June 6, 2019, CVA invited area producers and the community to an Open House at The Junction to gain an inside look of the facility.


“It’s great to see the commitment to this community by building this facility,” said Frank Jorgensen, CVA operations. “It’s awesome that it’s here, and it’s only going to get better.”