By Tom Collins
TRENTON — The growing seasons haven’t cooperated with Peter Archer’s new Trenton elevator, but the Maizeing Acres owner is confident it will turn around.
Archer’s Trenton elevator opened last October, during one of the worst droughts to hit that area of the province in years. Too much rain this year means there are plenty of late-planted acres, and Archer estimates that only 75 per cent of corn acres were planted as of June 13.
“We need corn into that facility and those corn acres aren’t going to be there in Prince Edward,” he said. “There’s nothing we can do about it. No amount of planning can ever overcome that. Eventually it will come around.”
This is in direct contrast to 2015. That bin-busting crop meant the Campbellford elevator had to stockpile 120,000 bushels of corn on the ground.
Accepting just corn last fall, this year the Trenton elevator will also be accepting soybeans and hard and soft red wheat. There is storage space of 2.3 million bushels at Trenton, on top of the 2.3 million bushels at Campbellford.
Archer said the new elevator has been great for area farmers.
“Everybody’s happy to see it there.” He said. “Everybody realizes that competition has been a good thing for the farmer. We used to be the worst basis in the whole province by far and now we’re the best.”
Maizeing Acres will be holding a grand opening event at the Trenton elevator at 157 Wooler Rd. on July 5 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. with a barbecue starting at 11 a.m.
