Ports of Indiana has selected Louis Dreyfus Co. to reopen the international agriculture terminal at Burns Harbor.
Louis Dreyfus Co. is a global merchant and processor of agricultural goods. The company will operate the grain export facility at the Lake Michigan port.
The Burns Harbor grain terminal enabled exports of over 500 million bushels of corn and soybeans between 1979 and 2023. The port’s grain operation includes storage capacity for 7.2 million bushels of grain, 200 railcars and 20 barges.
“Combining LDC’s extensive resources with one of the most robust grain export facilities on the Great Lakes provides critical access to global markets for regional farmers,” said Jody Peacock, Ports of Indiana CEO, in a press release. “This is one of only a few places in the Midwest where you can load 1 million bushels of corn onto an ocean vessel for export while simultaneously unloading an 85-car unit train and hundreds of semi-trucks from local farmers.”
Louis Dreyfus Co. was founded in France in 1851. The company established operations in the United States in 1909. Louis Dreyfus Co. operates a soybean crushing and biodiesel plant in Claypool, Indiana.
“Burns Harbor is well-positioned at the southern shore of Lake Michigan, with access to multiple regional grain markets,” Gordon Russell, LDC U.S. head of grains & oilseeds, said. “The port will be a strategic asset for LDC to expand market access for regional farmers and serve customers in North America and abroad.”
Ryan McCoy, Burns Harbor port director, said the partnership will support export growth. It will also expand the port’s reach across the agribusiness spectrum.
“This terminal is one of the leading export facilities in the Midwest, with the capacity to load up to 90,000 bushels per hour into an ocean vessel or laker and unload 30,000 bushels per hour from a unit train,” McCoy said. “LDC’s investment will sharpen its competitive edge and help our region expand its multimodal capabilities and grow global trade.”
Louis Dreyfus Co. is expected to begin operating the terminal in early 2026.
