AYR, Ontario, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FS PARTNERS held the official grand opening of its new high-efficiency, large capacity fertilizer plant at its agronomy and grain marketing site in Ayr on Saturday, March 23. 

More than 300 local and surrounding area residents, FS PARTNERS employees, directors, and industry leaders came out to celebrate, network and tour the facility. The new state-of-the-art, 36,000 sq. ft., 15,000 metric ton flat storage facility is fully equipped with eight bulk bins that allow for a variety of retail blending capabilities, mixing up to 2,000 metric tons of crop nutrient products per day, more than doubling the old capacity of 800 metric tons per day. It is the first plant in Ontario to utilize an HIM high-performance mixer (3.5 MT capacity), cutting production times significantly. 

The new plant operates as a shared asset between GROWMARK, Inc. and its retail division FS PARTNERS. “We saw the need for GROWMARK to invest the $7.2 million into this facilitate to provide greater efficiencies in distribution for FS PARTNERS’ locations and for other FS area co-operatives,” says Brent Ericson, GROWMARK vice president member business.

“The FS PARTNERS board sees this as an excellent investment for our farmer-owners, our customers and for retailers in the province,” says Bert Perriman FS PARTNERS board president. “It provides increased capabilities in all aspects from faster turn-around production times, to greater flexibility in product offerings.”

“We are very pleased with how the project took shape and was completed, as planned, on time for spring,” says Frank Barron, FS PARTNERS division manager. “Construction began October 2017 and involved expertise from more than a dozen skilled trades, nearly 200 outside workers and our extraordinary team of employees to bring it to fruition,” says Barron.

The facility also has the ability (through a 20-car rail siding) located on the property, to receive product by both railcar and truck.

GROWMARK, Inc. is an agricultural co-operative providing agronomy, energy, and logistics products and services, as well as grain marketing and risk management services in Ontario and across North America. GROWMARK owns the FS trademark, which is used by GROWMARK FS member companies and subsidiaries.

FS PARTNERS, headquartered in Guelph, Ontario, is a retail division of GROWMARK, Inc. that specializes in agronomy, energy through (UPI Energy FS) and grain marketing (Great Lakes Grain). It serves its farm customers from 16 branch locations throughout southwestern and central Ontario.

Photos available upon request. Mayor Sue Foxton, Mayor North Dumfries Township attended ribbon cutting.