WILMINGTON — The Trupointe Cooperative, Inc. grain elevator in Wilmington will shut down following fall harvest.

The action is in conjunction with moving those grain operations to Premier Grain LLC on Melvin Road in Clinton County near Wilmington, said Sunrise Cooperative President and CEO George Secor.

A merger between Sunrise Cooperative of Fremont, Ohio and Trupointe Cooperative of Piqua, Ohio was approved in March by majority support of the two cooperatives’ memberships. Secor, the presiding CEO of Sunrise Cooperative, will lead the new combined entity which will officially begin Sept. 1 under the name Sunrise Cooperative, Inc.

Secor said Friday that Premier Grain, compared to the Wilmington location, has more storage, faster dumping, and, most importantly, can utilize 90-car rail.

“It’s just a truck house in Wilmington,” said Secor.

Having corn, soybean and wheat on rail can add value on the grain bid, he said.

While the grain operations are moving several miles down the road, Wilmington will still be an energy hub after Sept. 1. In addition, the newly combined company will continue to have a grain buyer in Wilmington to work with farmers and help with their grain marketing, according to Secor.

Eventually, the grain site facilities in Wilmington will be torn down, he said.

Under the new cooperative, a 12-member board of directors will represent membership through districts. Kirk Walker of the New Vienna area, Clinton County, will be a District 2 representative, according to a March 31 news release from the Sunrise and Trupointe Cooperatives.

The same news release stated, “The newly combined entity will operate more than 40 facilities with more than 400 full-time employees, and begin operations with total sales just under $900 million. Products and services will be provided in agronomy supply, animal nutrition, grain marketing, power fuels, propane, and turf and ornamental.”

Reach Gary Huffenberger at 937-556-5768 or on Twitter @GHuffenberger.