Kansas to get new $325m soybean crushing plant

By Jane Byrne

- Last updated on GMT

© GettyImages/fotokostic
© GettyImages/fotokostic

Related tags soybean crushing Soybean meal

A new US$325m soybean processing facility to benefit supply chains for renewable fuels, food products and animal feeds will be constructed by Bartlett in southeastern Kansas, in the US.

The plant will be capable of handling around 38.5 million bushels of soybeans annually - about 110,000 bushels of soybeans per day - providing a consistent and competitive source of soybean meal (SBM), hulls and oil, said the developer.

Construction is scheduled to start in early 2022, with plant operations anticipated to begin in 2024.

The facility will create about 50 permanent jobs, and the project will support additional jobs and economic activity during construction, said Bartlett. 

The development of the soybean crushing plant is being supported by industrial revenue bonds issue by the local authorities in Montgomery County, Kansas.

The plant will be strategically located with easy access to highways, said the company. The project will also encourage rail improvements benefitting Southeast Kansas, it added.

Bartlett is part of the Savage family of companies. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, it has facilities and offices in nine US states and Mexico, and its principal businesses are grain merchandising, flour milling, and feed manufacturing.  

Soy crushing expansion projects 

This year has seen multiple investments in soybean crush expansion projects in the US Midwest on greater demand for soy products and for soybean meal for livestock production

In May, Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) announced plans to build a soybean crushing plant and refinery in North Dakota. The facility, which is expected to be operational prior to the 2023 harvest, will meet the demands for soy from food, feed, industrial and biofuel customers, as well as producers of renewable diesel, said the agribusiness giant.

The US$350m site will use state-of-the-art automation technology and will have the capacity to process 150,000 bushels of soybeans per day.

ADM said its global logistics network will enable the facility to access both domestic and global markets for soybean oil and meal. 

In March 2021, Cargill said it was investing US$475m in its US soy crushing operations to meet domestic demand, including modernization and expansion projects across its network of crush facilities in seven states. The aim is to improve operational efficiencies, while also increasing capacity, by 10% overall at the Cedar Rapids, Iowa site, and doubling it at its Sidney, Ohio facility.

Along with increased output at facilities, the projects are aimed at faster unloading of oilseeds and loading of products, better overall logistics, safety, and ease of doing business. 

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