Ferndale granary to be closed, buildings demolished

FERNDALE, Wash. — The granary on the corner of Washington Street and Third Avenue in Ferndale will soon be torn down according to an announcement from the current operator, Cargill, a Minneapolis-based multinational food corporation.

Cargill officials announced on October 28th they will permanently stop production at the facility mid-November. “Upgrades and investments needed to modernize the facility” were cited as the reason behind the decision.

Upon closing, Cargill Ferndale customers will receive Cargill feed products through Cargill’s Granger, Wa. animal feed facility or EPL Feed LLC in Sumas, Wa. Cargill is working with the 12 Ferndale employees to help find employment in other Cargill facilities or businesses in the area. 

– Cargill (October 28, 2024)

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Cargill mixed livestock feed brought in by railroad cars and trucks to the granary facility for delivery to local dairy farmers.

The facility is built on 2.75 acres of land owned by BNSF Railway.

Locals say the property was the site of Imhof Feeds in the 1920s which later was sold to Ferndale Grain, Inc. A fire wiped out the structures in the 1960s but they were rebuilt. Whatcom County Assessor’s records show the property was sold to Hillman Holdings, LLC in 2000 and Cargill took ownership in 2003.

In 2017, Cargill was accused of violating the Clean Water Act by releasing polluted stormwater from its animal feed plant. The accusation was made by Puget Soundkeeper Alliance of Seattle and Re Sources for Sustainable Communities of Bellingham who accepted a payment of $70,000 to dismiss their complaint.

An official with Re Sources provided Whatcom News with the following explanation of how the payment was handled. “Puget Soundkeeper Alliance and RE Sources did not receive a payment of $70,000 to dismiss the 2017 Clean Water Act pollution lawsuit. Cargill made a $70,000 payment to an agreed upon third-party community grant maker that distributes funds to environmental projects that benefit the Puget Sound/Salish Sea. Neither Puget Soundkeeper Alliance nor RE Sources ever received any portion of that payment or distributed funds.”