Crush facility opening kickstart Fall
September marked an important milestone for soybean markets in Kansas with the ribbon cutting ceremonies for two new soybean crushing facilities.
Nearly 100 farmers, media, industry and elected officials gathered in Goodland September 18 to welcome an oilseed crushing facility developed by Scoular. The company invested in upgrades to its facility west of Goodland to allow crushing operations for canola and soybeans to begin.
Retrofitting the facility opens the door for Scoular to process 11 million bushels of canola and soybeans annually with a plan to trade off between the crops on a seasonal basis or as needed. It can crush 1,000 metric tons of oilseeds per day.
“I think this is a real asset for soybeans in northwest Kansas to have a processing facility for better markets and value-added products,” Commissioner Mark Myers says, noting the closer market could improve basis and potentially add soybean acres to the area.
Myers, of Colby, attended the ribbon cutting along with USB director Kurt Maurath, Oakley. Kansas Soybean Association Chairwoman Teresa Brandenburg, Russell, joined as well.
Just a day later, a new crowd of over 200 people gathered in the opposite corner of the state to celebrate the grand opening of the soybean crush plant in Cherryvale. Bartlett, a Savage company, constructed the facility to handle 45 million bushels of soybeans annually. Construction began in 2022. Bartlett highlights 60 new permanent jobs created from the plant.
Commissioner Mike Froebe, Mound Valley, shares excitement about the proximity to his farm, and says the plant “is making more competition for the local co-ops and the overall demand for soybeans is a great boom for southeast Kansas.”
Froebe, along with Commissioner Keith Miller, Great Bend, and KSA directors Jared Nash, Parsons, and John Pracht, Westphalia, attended the ceremony.
Above Left: Commissioners Mark Myers and Kurt Maurath and Association director Teresa Brandenburg at Scoular opening. Right: Kaleb Little, CEO, Commissioners Keith Miller, Great Bend; Mike Froebe, Mound Valley; Association directors John Pracht, Westphalia; Jared Nash, Parson