September 26, 2025 – Sent out our first load of fertilizer!
The fertilizer plant construction has reached its ultimate goal – we are able to blend fertilizer! Yesterday, we were able to send the first load of fertilizer out of our brand new facility! As harvest is kicking into gear, we anticipate a lot of use in the next few weeks. It’s a fantastic feeling when everything works!
July 2, 2025 – Railroad siding/receiving, liquid fertilizer dike/loading pad & electrical work!
A lot has happened since our last update! The railroad siding and receiving have been installed, the liquid fertilizer dike and load pad have been constructed, and a lot of electrical wire has been run. Progress continues with dirt work, building roads and parking areas, as well as the truck scale. We were been able to test run the fertilizer receiving equipment, and it worked well! We are still on pace to be operating out of this new complex for the fall fertilizer season.
Photos #1-2: Taken inside of fertilizer shed
Photos #3-4: Railroad work
Photo #5: Liquid fertilizer dike and load pad
Photo #6: Scale construction
May 5, 2025 – Chemical shed/office shell complete & fertilizer plant is all under a roof!
The weather has allowed construction progress to move forward almost as rapidly as planting progress in the area. Since our last update, the shell of the chemical warehouse/office has been completed and the fertilizer plant is all under a roof! The steel roof panels on the fertilizer plant are almost finished as well. The electrical work has started in both the chemical warehouse and the fertilizer plant, the office area is being framed up for the office spaces, and dirt work has restarted around the site. There is still a tremendous amount of work to do before the fall fertilizer season begins, but we are on pace to be operational this fall!
Construction Progress – September 2024 to March 2025!
March 11, 2025 – Construction progress continues in mild weather
Thanks to the mild weather, construction progress continues to be made at the new Agronomy Center Complex in Echo. We have been blessed to get so much done this winter!
January 31, 2025 – Taking advantage of a beautiful week of weather
In the two weeks since our last update, we have seen a lot of progress at the Echo Agronomy Center Complex! Construction crews have taken advantage of the exceptionally beautiful weather this week and continue to set rafters, erect the blending tower and work on constructing the chemical shed. Doubler Construction, Elevator Works and Piotter Construction, we thank you for your continued hard work!
January 16, 2025 – Fertilizer plant, blending tower & chemical warehouse progress
The construction workers are still making progress this month on the new Agronomy Center Complex in Echo. Doubler Construction and Elevator Works are working together to set the rafters in place on the fertilizer plant, Elevator Works is erecting the fertilizer blending tower piece by piece, and Piotter Construction is putting up the chemical warehouse.
Photos 1-2: Aerial view of the construction site
Photos 3-4: Fertilizer plant rafters
Photos 5-6: Fertilizer blending tower
Photos 7-8: Chemical warehouse
December 26, 2024 – Winter progress continues
We are continuing to make progress at the construction site this winter! We now have electricity out to the fertilizer plant, and Meadowland’s very own electric department has installed some of the panels for the project, giving access to power for the construction workers. Elevator Works is onsite beginning to erect the blending tower, while the guys from Lamberton Construction continue to form up walls so they can pour concrete when the temperature is fit. Doubler Construction has been onsite enclosing the electric room and delivering materials that will be used to build the rest of the plant. Stay tuned for future updates!
November 18, 2024 – Pouring walls for the fertilizer plant & chemical shed/office up next
Construction progress continues to be made, as Mother Nature has cooperated with the construction project (for the most part)! The much-needed rains haven’t cost us too many days, but the contractors need the weather to hold for a while yet. The cement walls of the fertilizer plant are going up and changing the view as you drive into Echo. It is really coming into focus how large the fertilizer plant will be! The cement pad for the chemical shed and office has been poured, so the next step is to get the stem walls poured before the steel building can be constructed.
October 15, 2024 – 2500 yards of concrete poured!
Today was a huge day at the Echo construction site with around 2500 yards of concrete being poured! If you’ve been in the area today, you likely met at least 1 of the 40 cement trucks hauling to the 3 pumper trucks on site. Workers were on site around 4:00am and the first concrete was poured at 5:00am. Ground photos were taken at sunrise and drone footage was taken mid morning.
October 2, 2024 – Concrete poured for blending tower footing & pit for conveyors
The construction crews are hard at work and taking advantage of the weather! The first concrete was poured – this is for the footing of the blending tower and the pit for the conveyors to the leg that fill the pit.
Photos 1-3 show how the footing for the tower and the anchor plates for the tower are put together.
Photos 4-6 show the truck unload pit being constructed and poured.
Photos 7-8 show the foundation rebar and stem walls of the outer and inner walls of the fertilizer plant.
September 16, 2024 – Fertilizer plant rebar, retention pond taking shape & more!
A lot of progress has been made since our last update! You can see the retention pond taking shape, the sand where the office and chemical shed will be, the entrance off of 150th Ave, and rebar being placed in the fertilizer plant footprint. The close up photos show the rebar being placed for the footings of the fertilizer plant and the forms set in place for the fertilizer blend tower.
September 6, 2024 – Excavation continues!
Excavation continues across the complex. In the footprint for the fertilizer plant, you can see where the concrete footings will be!
August 20, 2024 – Fertilizer plant pad ready for concrete
The fertilizer plant pad is ready for concrete! The crew will arrive to start forming up the building soon. For now, excavation will continue on the stormwater retention pond, the chemical shed and the office.
July 30, 2024 – Excavating the footprint of the fertilizer plant
We were able to make some progress while the weather cooperated! Drone photos taken yesterday, July 29, show the footprint of the fertilizer plant being excavated out – it will then be backfilled with sand and compacted to prepare it for the concrete crew.
July 11, 2024 – Dirt work has begun!
Dirt work began this week at the Echo Agronomy Center! Roughly 40,000 yards of dirt will need to be moved during this project. Pictured above is the before photo (left) and dirt work progress as of Thursday, July 11 (right).
July 2, 2024 – Groundbreaking Ceremony
A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site of Meadowland Farmers Coop’s new Agronomy Center Complex near Echo on Tuesday, July 2.
When completed, the complex will have a 26,000-ton dry fertilizer plant, an office, a chemical warehouse with liquid fertilizer storage, a maintenance shop and a seed warehouse. A railroad spur will be built to allow access to rail-delivered fertilizer.
Meadowland Farmers Coop bought Farmers Cooperative Oil Company of Echo on September 1, 2023. In attendance were representatives from Meadowland’s board of directors, FCO’s board of directors, Meadowland’s management team, Yellow Medicine County Commissioners, Echo Township board and the contractors involved in the project.
Meadowland Board Chairman, Brian Hicks, stated, “This project will help us better serve all Meadowland agronomy patrons. It will greatly increase our capacity and speed in the northern part of our territory and take pressure off our locations in the southern part of our territory that have been helping service those northern locations.”
Meadowland Farmers Coop is headquartered in Lamberton, MN with locations in Avoca, Belview, Clements, Delhi, Echo, Redwood Falls, Russell, Sacred Heart, Sanborn, Storden, Vesta, Wabasso, Walnut Grove, and Westbrook.