Busch to build site in Sidney

Anheuser-Busch said Wednesday it will build a $6.8 million malt barley handling and storage facility
in Sidney.
The brewer of Budweiser beer plans for an initial crop in 2003 of 10 million bushels in the area of
northeastern Montana and northwestern North Dakota.

By JIM GRANSBERY
Of The Gazette Staff

Gov. Judy Martz joined Anheuser-Busch officials in Sidney Wednesday morning for a groundbreaking and
luncheon with community leaders and area farmers.
The elevator site is about one-half mile northeast of town, just east of the Eastern Montana Agricultural
Research Center and north of the sugar beet factory. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway track is
adjacent. Initial capacity is pegged at 1.5 million bushels with a loading capacity of 100,000 bushels a day.

In Helena Wednesday afternoon, Martz
announced the economic development project for
Sidney, an irrigated agricultural region known for its
sugar beets and corn. The recent development of a
potato industry and improved safflower varieties
provide for a highly diversified cash-crop production
area.

Dick Emerson, director of barley operations for
Busch Agricultural Resources Inc., said the area was
attractive for several reasons – adequate water, an
excellent growing climate and potential for expanded
irrigated acres.

"Barley is an excellent rotation crop with sugar
beets and the sugar program already in place in the
region will serve as a complement," Emerson said.
"And we understand potato production in the Mon-Dak
is increasing, which can be beneficial for barley
rotation."

He added that the area is suited for producing
disease-free malt barley.
Anheuser-Busch has a malt house, which turns
barley into malt, in North Dakota between Jamestown
and Valley City and in recent years has contracted for malt barley in northeastern Montana because many parts
of North Dakota were too wet, and grain crops were damaged by too much moisture.
Construction is expected to begin next month and be completed in August 2003 in time for harvest. The
facility will provide seven permanent jobs.

The new barley production will be "a shot in the arm" for the local economy, said state Sen. Walt McNutt,
who has been working on the project for about 16 months.
"It will amount to about $24 million on a contract basis," he said. He pegged the estimate on a price of
$3.15 a bushel.

Malt barley prices are generally about $1 better than feed barley.
Montana ranks third in the nation in the production of barley with malt barley bringing in about $60 million a
year.
Anheuser-Busch has malt barley elevators in Conrad, Fairfield and Fromberg.

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