The North Dakota Soybean Processors hosted the ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new plant in Casselton, North Dakota on August 7. The facility, a joint venture between CGB Enterprises and Minnesota Soybean Processors, will operate 365 days a year and estimates to process 42.5 million bushels of soybeans in its first year.
Tom Malecha, President of the North Dakota Soybean Processors, says there was a demand for the plant locally and nationally.
“It’s a development of a demand-base locally. So the farmers are going to be able to sell their soybeans here locally, we’re going to add value to them, sell the meal potentially locally.” Melcha said. “And also oil, not only to local food companies, but also throughout the US to both food and fuel customers.”
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, who had the honor of cutting the ribbon, echoed the importance of having this plant in North Dakota. Cass county, he says, is number one in acres planted, harvested and number nine in bushels.
“North Dakota became a soybean powerhouse. We’ve had five of the top 25 soybean bushel producing counties in the country,” Burgum said. “That’s crop value is over 3 billion dollars and that’s before we start adding value to it like we do right here. It’s no mystery why we are cutting the ribbon here today in the second North Dakota crush plant.”
For the local growers, there are now more options, Malecha says.
“We’re going to offer them multiple ways to hedge their risk with different types of contracts as well as being a market that’s here every day of the year. So they’ll be able to dump beans every day and we’ll be crushing year round.”
