Grain production is being ramped up across the Upper Southeast in an attempt to reduce the ratio of Midwest feeds coming into the region to maintain large poultry and swine operations.

The sale of Smithfield Foods to a large Chinese company has further ramped up interest among growers, but the bottom line is growers now have multiple local markets for their grain.

Scoular Company, a large Midwest-based grain company, with more than 70 offices throughout North and South America recently expanded their grain buying capabilities in a big way. The company recently finalized an agreement to lease a one million bushel facility — the Vireol Grain Terminal in Hopewell, Va.

In July, Scoular started their build-up of grain buying capabilities with the purchase of the grain operations of R.O. Mayes Company, which is headquartered in Petersburg, Va.

“We’re open, ready for business, and prepared to get farmers unloaded and back to the fields in a hurry this harvest,” says Scoular Manager Brad Stewart, citing the Hopewell facility’s notable 30,000 bushels-per-hour unload speed.

In addition to quick unloading, Stewart says farmers can count on Scoular to be a competitive market for their grain. “The combination of our existing container transload facility in Windsor, Va., and these two new-to-Scoular grain-handling locations in Petersburg and Hopewell will connect area farmers to marketing opportunities made possible through our access to global markets.”  

Scoular is buying grain for both the Hopewell and Petersburg locations. Farmers can contract corn or soybeans with Scoular, selling it for immediate or future delivery at Hopewell or Petersburg.  

You can check current crop commodity prices now.

Contracted grain can be sold delivered if farmers want to make their own hauling arrangements, or Scoular will buy grain picked-up on the farm and provide the trucks.  

Farmers can also haul their corn or soybeans to either location at any time, selling the grain load-by-load as they bring it in.

Farmers interested in selling grain may contact Scoular as follows: for grain sold to Hopewell or Windsor, contact Brad Stewart at (757) 242-6300; for grain sold to Petersburg, contact Mike Mayes at (804) 733-5750.

In addition to expanded opportunities to sell grain to Scouler, growers will continue to have virtually an unlimited market to sell local grain to Murphy Brown, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods.

Though there have been numerous rumors as to the future of the Warsaw, N.C.,-based feed procurement company, but once sale of Smithfield is finalized, company officials stress it will be business as usual.

Murphy Brown has been a leader in pushing for increased grain acreage in the Upper Southeast. Through their efforts, grain sorghum acreage has increased dramatically over the past few years as livestock producers struggle to offset the high cost of shipping grain from the Midwest to production facilities in the Southeast.