(Mitchell, SD) — South Dakota’s ag industry is celebrating a major milestone with the ribbon-cutting of a brand-new 500-million-dollar soybean processing plant that opened its doors Tuesday. The High Plains Processing facility in Mitchell can handle 35 million bushels of soybeans a year and will also process crops like sunflowers and canola.
Tom Kersting, the CEO of South Dakota Soybean Processors, which manages the plant, said it will help stabilize prices and create local demand. “If it wasn’t for demand sources like this facility, it’d be very, very tough out there,” Kersting said, calling China, until now, the No. 1 buyer of South Dakota’s exported soybeans.
China is avoiding U.S. soybeans this fall in response to tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. The High Plains Processing Plant is designed to crush about 35 million bushels of soybeans per year. South Dakota farmers produced about 238 million bushels last year. The facility will help create local markets for crops as the China market dries up amid tariff tensions. Leaders say it’s the first large-scale multi-seed plant in the state, creating 75 full-time jobs and giving farmers a steady new market while also fueling the renewable energy industry. Governor Larry Rhoden calls the project a big win for farmers and the economy. Learn more at https://sdsbp.com.
SOURCE: NAFB News Service
