By ALEXANDER SIMONE’

Staff writer

Farmers in northeast Marion County soon may have more access to diesel fuel, thanks to MFA Oil’s purchase of the former US-77 Pit Stop building in Lincolnville.

The propane and gas supplier plans to set up a gas station there. The building is well situated between MFA’s Marion, Tampa, and Herington sites, MFA branch manager Thomas Cushing said.

It also is ideal because it’s along the highway and the lot has plenty of space for large vehicles to pull through, he said.

“Being right on US-77, there’ll be a little more visibility that way,” he said. “The other aspect is that we’re more on the ag side, and ag equipment keeps getting bigger and bigger. The old single-axel dump trucks, you don’t see them very much anymore. Most of these farmers now have semis with top or bottom trailers.”

The new branch will be operational within 24 months, and will be able to supply fuel for trucks and tractors alike, Cushing said.

“Since we’re more geared toward farmers, it’ll be not just clear diesel but also off-road diesel for stuff like that,”

The Lincolnville location will give MFA a place to house bulk fuel so it can be taken directly to farmers. The nearest availability MFA had for bulk fuel was Council Grove, so the Lincolnville expansion would greatly increase access.

It also would give MFA a permanent office, as opposed to leasing space like in Tampa, and plenty of storage space for other products, Cushing said.

“We’ll be a little more accessible for a lot of that stuff,” he said. “The building is there, but we’ll be adding in some kind of storage building in addition for our package products and lubricants.”