Aug. 24—ELIZABETHVILLE — One of Schuylkill County's largest employers has expanded its operations with the purchase of a grain facility in upper Dauphin County.

Officials and employees of Sterman Masser Inc. were joined Tuesday afternoon by area legislators, officials, members of the National FFA Organization and state Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding to celebrate the grand opening of the company's new facility, Lykens Valley Grain.

The company, headquartered in Sacramento, plans to use the 41-acre facility in Washington Twp., Dauphin County, to store, dry and sell grain produced by Sterman Masser and area farmers.

Officials there said having the facility, the company's first, allows them to stay in business.

"A lot of farmers in the area may not have facilities to store and dry their grain. This provides them with that service," company Chief Financial Officer Julie Masser Ballay said.

The site consists of 21 grain silos with the capacity to store 750,000 bushels, a dryer and office space, as well as storage for corn and beans, and equipment for blending and storing fertilizer.

The company purchased the facility, formerly known as the Upper Dauphin Grain Center and built in the 1960s, in late June from Perdue Agribusiness, which had planned to close it as part of a consolidation.

Perdue Agribusiness, a subsidiary of Maryland-based Perdue Farms, plans to buy beans from farmers in the Lykens Valley and store them at the facility.

It will transport them to Perdue Agribusiness's plant in Bainbridge, Lancaster County.

Sterman Masser kept the facility's seven employees, with Scott Martz the general manager.

The company, which employs 400 people in Schuylkill, Dauphin and Northumberland counties, has farms in the three counties as well as a storage facility in Halifax.

The grain facility is next to one of the farms.

Chief Operating Officer Michael Pechart said the company eventually plans to expand the facility to add more grain storage capacity.

In remarks to a crowd of 100 people, company President Dave Masser welcomed area farmers to the facility, emphasizing the facility's role in the agricultural landscape of the Lykens Valley.

"We're open for business and ready for the 2022 harvest," he said.

Redding thanked the Masser family, which runs Sterman Masser, for investing in the facility and agriculture, adding the Lykens Valley would look "very different" without it.

"Valleys like this are an important part of agriculture in our state," he said.

State Rep. Joe Kerwin, R-125, Lykens, said that as a Lykens Valley resident, he understands the facility's importance to the area.

"Projects like these guarantee our future as an agriculture powerhouse," he said.

Other remarks were given by state Sen. John DiSanto, R-15, Dauphin, whose district includes upper Dauphin County.

Contact the writer: clee@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6028; @Cleespot on Twitter