Rail-served export facility reaches completion at Milwaukee port

Port Milwaukee, The Delong Co. Inc. and other organizations recently marked the completion of a second phase expansion of an agricultural product export facility.

Owned and operated by DeLong, the $40 million Agricultural Maritime Export Facility launched operations in 2023 at the Milwaukee port. Served by CPKC and Union Pacific Railroad, the facility is used to export distiller's dried grains, soybeans, corn and other ag products to international markets via the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway. 

On March 31, the Soy Transportation Coalition presented a ceremonial $200,000 check to the port and Delong for the project in honor of soybean farmers. 

The expansion will enhance capacity to export U.S. soybeans and soybean meal, coalition officials said in a press release. In addition, the facility enables barges to be loaded in all 12 months of the year and ultimately connect to Gulf Coast terminals via the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, they said.  

The project’s second phase involved constructing two grain storage silos, upgrading electrical service and adding handling equipment. Delong and the port obtained a $9.3 million grant through the U.S. Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program for the project.