Miller Magazine Issue: 123 March 2020

40 NEWS MILLER / MARCH 2020 The Port of Milwaukee is getting a new $31 million agricultural products export facility aimed at handling distillers grain. New agricultural export facility will help farmers ship their grains around the world. Port of Milwaukee building $31 million grain export facility Boosted by a federal grant, the Port of Milwaukee is establishing a $31 million agricultural products export fa- cility. In coordination with The DeLong Company, it will handle dried distillers grain, an animal feed supplement, and other products aimed at international markets. Cons- truction of the new facility, to be built on the west side of Jones Island, is expected to begin in about a year. The Port of Milwaukee director says the new facility will be open for business in 2 to 3 years. A $15.9 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant is covering part of the costs. “This investment adds a new dimension to the Port of Milwaukee’s role as a connector of Wisconsin’s businesses and farmers to world markets,” Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said in a state- ment. “Waterborne commerce is what established Milwa- ukee and fueled its growth. The Port's new agricultural export facility will serve regional customers for decades to come, and we are very appreciative of the Federal gover- nment’s partnership.” The new facility, located on the west side of Jones Is- land, is designed to handle various agricultural products including a byproduct of ethanol production, Dried Distil- lers Grain. DDG is an animal feed supplement, and the fa- cility will open new international markets for this product. “Port Milwaukee moves Wisconsin’s manufactured goods and agricultural products to markets across the country and to the rest of the world,” said Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin. “I worked to secure this investment in our transportation infrastructure so that we can expand farmers’ access to international markets, create jobs for Milwaukee workers and help grow our Made in Wiscon- sin economy.” The project has received endorsements from State and Federal government leaders, local business groups, and Great Lakes maritime representatives.