Several dignitaries were on hand June 9 for a “ribbon busting” at Parrish & Heimbecker’s new grain terminal that saw a new Reynolds Brothers Trucking Semi, driven by Robert Reynolds, break through a yellow ribbon.

P&H CEO John Heimbecker joined Mayor Steve Ferguson, Bay of Quinte MPP Tyler Allsopp, and Picton Terminals’ owner Ben Doornekamp in welcoming over 30 visitors to the latest in the Canadian agribusiness giant’s offerings.

Soybeans, wheat and corn grown here and across eastern Ontario will be transshipped from the terminal to ports on the St. Lawrence Seaway or directly to Northern Europe. P&H and Picton Terminals are coordinating shipping schedules to ensure boats arriving with raw materials, such as salt, steel, and aggregate, are reloaded with grain.

“In the end, what we are doing is moving commodities. We don’t control the prices  — they’re set in the world, they’re high and they’re low. But the one thing we do know is that the cost to move them, to handle them, has to be as low as possible to keep Canada competitive,” Mr. Heimbecker said.

The Mayor described the work of farmers as demanding, essential, and deeply rooted in generations of knowledge and commitment. 

“This facility provides farmers with improved access to grain handling and storage and services that help them stay competitive in a rapidly changing sector. It also represents confidence in our community, in our producers, our workforce, and the future of agriculture,” he said. “We know when agriculture thrives, the County thrives. P&H’s presence here helps ensure our farmers have the tools, infrastructure, and support they need to continue doing what they do best.”

While officials are confident the current capacity will be successful at 350,000 tonnes annually, P&H and Picton Terminals joked — apparently — about doubling the terminal’s size to 16 silos.

The company will be watching crop yields closely across the one million acres of grain and oilseed crops in Eastern Ontario. Picton Phase 2 might not be that far off.

“For all our projects, we run return-on-investment scenarios — what it’s going to cost, how many tonnes we can run through it in a year. 

“If we grow past our first tier, which is 350,000, and grow it into 400,000 or 500,000 tonnes and the demand is high enough, we determine if we can make that investment,” explained Darryle Markle, P&H’s Vice President of Terminals and Global Execution. 

“Once we know the top end, then we can start to determine next steps.”