Feds give agriculture business $26.3M for upgrades to Windsor plant

The Canadian government has given ADM Agri-Industries in Windsor $26.3 million dollars to go toward $76 million dollars in upgrades to the grains and oil seeds processing facility at the Port of Windsor.

The company is using the money for several projects.

"We're going to improve our truck loading capacity by introducing a new roadway and kiosk system," said Kevin Wright, general manager of ADM's Great Lakes region and country manager of Canada.

"We're going to add new grain dryers that are going to be efficient to allow us to receive grain from the farmer and dry it and condition it and allow us to buy more grain from the producers. We're going to increase our storage capacity."

Wright said it will also allow the company to purchase more grain from southwestern Ontario producers.

The company located near the end of Sprucewood Drive in west Windsor produces vegetable oils and livestock feed from canola and soy bean seed.

It also exports corn and wheat grown in the area, and employs

It employs 150 people which Wright says the investment will help keep employed.

"We're announcing today the single largest federal investment ever in the history of Port Windsor," said Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmiercyzk who made the announcement joined by Port of Windsor CEO Steve Salmons.

"ADM is so important to Port Windsor. Typically 20 per cent of our annual volumes flow through ADM," said Salmons.

Wright said the projects should be complete by the end of next year.