Landus Cooperative recently donated a grain elevator to the Greene County Fair Foundation.

The structure is located by the Raccoon River Valley Trailhead in Jefferson and the county fairgrounds. Fair Board President Bob Allen says the driving force behind getting the grain elevator is give a better location for the Freedom Rock.

The Freedom Rock was originally slated to be on the northeast corner of the fairgrounds, but now with the donation, it will be placed in the existing gravel parking lot.

Freedom Rock Committee member Dawn Rudolph says it’s a double win for their project because people coming off of the bike trail will have easy access to the rock and it will help reduce the overall cost of the project because there is already parking, access to the Lincoln Highway and electrical access.

Allen points out that they will keep the elevator in it’s current, historic state and there are no plans to make any changes to the structure.

The Freedom Rock committee will need to raise between $15,000 and $20,000 to complete the project, with majority of the expenses going to the artist Bubba Sorenson to paint the rock, along with travel and lodging when he comes to Jefferson next April. The Greene County Secondary Roads crew will be moving the rock into position in the next few weeks.

Landus CEO Milan Kucerak says they are emptying the elevator of the speciality soybeans from the silo and are completing the property transfer documents. He fully supports the donation and is happy to assist with the Freedom Rock project.