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DeLong Company breaks ground on new maritime export facility in Milwaukee

An agricultural commodity exporter is expanding to new markets by building a new facility. 

Groundbreaking was held at Port Milwaukee for a new 35-million-dollar Agricultural Maritime Export Facility.   Bo DeLong is with the DeLong Company and says, “The first phase of the project will be constructing a facility for dry distillers grains for export to Europe.”

DeLong tells Brownfield their new Milwaukee facility will be new for them. “Currently, we’re in the export business but all of our business so far is by exporting containerized ag exports. This will be the first opportunity or our first dive into bulk vessels.”

DeLong says he’s optimistic the new facility will help move DDG’s into a new market for Wisconsin and upper Midwest producers. “We’ve been studying the market for the last three years and currently, DDG’s are barged down the river to the gulf and then shipped from the gulf up to Europe and this will be a little bit shorter route and a bit more economical.”

Wisconsin Ag, Trade, and Consumer Protection Secretary Randy Romanski tells Brownfield, “This is going to be a great way to move bulk product from the Midwest, and of course, that’s a great benefit for Wisconsin farmers.”

The facility is being built with funding from the DeLong Company plus state and federal transportation dollars and will open a year from now.