This week the company said it would recommission the former sunflower crush plant outside of Goodland, northwest Kansas that it purchased in 2021.
The Nebraska-based firm will make an investment to retrofit the facility to crush both soybeans and canola. Up to 40 new jobs will be created, and the facility is expected to begin operations towards the latter end of 2024.
The facility will process 11 million bushels of oilseeds a year, toggling between canola and soybeans as availability dictates. As low-carbon crops such as camelina develop in the future, Scoular said it will also be able to process those new seeds.
A spokesperson for Scoular told us the facility would produce over 200,000 tons of meal, derived from both soybeans and canola, on an annual basis.
Kansas is ranked 10th in the US in terms of the leading soybean producng states. In 2020, output totaled 190 million bushels, up 2% from 2019, across 4.7 million harvested acres.
Renewable fuels
“Scoular is bringing the canola market back to Kansas and Oklahoma,” said Ed Prosser, the company’s senior vice president of emerging businesses. “This investment will provide producers with the opportunity to participate in the booming renewable fuels market.”
Because of its high-oil content, canola is highly valued in the renewable fuels sector, particularly for use in the growing renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel markets. Those markets are forecast to grow to over 5 billion gallons by 2025, said the company.
Scoular is partnering with Kansas State University to advise farmers on best practices for growing canola. The crop is well-suited for planting in a winter wheat rotation in the Southern Great Plains. The rotation can improve weed control and wheat yields, said the firm.
“The recommissioning of the crush facility in Goodland will breathe new life into the Great Plains canola industry,” said Michael Stamm, a K-State agronomist and canola breeder. “This facility will provide new opportunities for renewable diesel feedstock production, generating greater value for the canola grown in the region.”
Also commenting on the project was US Senator, Jerry Moran, who said that Scoular’s decision to invest in the crush facility in Goodland would support farmers and contribute to the economic prosperity of northwest Kansas.
