Leading U.S. Exporter ACX Pacific Northwest Boosts Economy through Innovation, Supply Chain Leadership, and Animal Feed Exports

Stockton, CA, September 1, 2011: ACX Pacific Northwest, Inc., a leading exporter of U.S. hay and straw, is announcing the opening of a new hay export processing facility in Stockton, CA. The plant, located at the Port of Stockton, is expected to be operational beginning October 2011.

ACX will hire 40-60 people to work in the facility. The new operation is expected to spur growth in regional farming and trucking sectors as well. According to company CEO, John M. Gombos, expansion to the Bay Area is necessary to keep up with demand for ACX forage and roughage products around the world.

“After the opening of ACX Stockton, we will have facilities at or near all three major port areas on the West Coast of the United States,” said Gombos. “This allows ACX the unique ability to source a variety of hay and straw products directly from farmers all over the Western U.S. and bolster our supply chain to meet global demand.”

ACX is now the only hay export processor with facilities near the Ports of Seattle, Tacoma, Stockton, Oakland, Long Beach, and Los Angeles.

ACX currently has hay processing facilities in Ellensburg, WA near the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma. Wasco, CA and Wilmington, CA facilities are located near the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Immediate access to all major West Coast ports and hay-growing regions makes ACX the 38th largest exporter of any commodity in the United States according to The Journal of Commerce.

Hay and straw products purchased from farmers by ACX for the Stockton facility include alfalfa and timothy hay from Northern California, Nevada, and Southern Oregon; sudan grass from the San Joaquin Valley; and rice straw from the Sacramento Valley. “Our supply area really opens up with our ability to run hay through the Ports of Stockton and Oakland,” said Gombos.

After the hay is purchased it will be delivered to ACX Stockton by flatbed truck or 53’ commercial van. According to Gombos, the hay will be stored and protected on stack pads before being “double compressed” into various bale sizes and loaded into sea containers for export through the ports.

Early next year, ACX will use the Marine 580 waterway to move heavy containers from the Port of Stockton to the Port of Oakland to help mitigate road traffic and to support clean air standards in the community. “The Port of Stockton is incredibly supportive of our commitment to use M580,” said Gombos, “Without their support, we would not have been able to make a commitment to locate our facility at the Port of Stockton.”

“Most exported hay from ACX goes to Japan, United Arab Emirates, South Korea, and China,” said Gombos. “These countries import alfalfa and other hay products from the U.S. for dairy, beef, and animal feed industries.” According to Gombos, many foreign countries simply do not have the land and water resources available to grow their own hay.

ACX also buys hay from farmers in Washington, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. All of this hay is shipped to various ACX facilities on the West Coast for export.

According to U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Statistics, the U.S. exported 1.7 million tons of alfalfa in 2010. An additional 1.4 million tons of other U.S. hay products were also exported in 2010.

ACX is a family company that started with trucking and warehousing in the 1920’s and hay export in 1978. Gombos said ACX is looking forward to joining the Stockton community and supporting its residents and farmers from the region. For more information about ACX, please visit their website at www.acxpacific.com.