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New crush plant benefits in central South Dakota

Two South Dakota farmers say High Plains Processing, a new oilseed crush facility being built in Mitchell, will boost local commodity prices and encourage a more diverse crop mix.

Kevin Deinert, the president of the South Dakota Soybean Association from Mount Vernon, says more competition means a better soybean basis.

“Historically, we haven’t been real great in our area. We’ve had to ship a lot of our soybeans away and sometimes we’ve had to truck them 40 to 50 miles to an elevator that’s competitive,” says Deinert. “Being able to have a source here that can do what those elevators were doing and instead of them shipping it off, we can take it into the plant ourselves.”

Once operational in 2025, the oilseed crush plant will crush soybeans and eventually process sunflowers and camelina. Chet Edinger from Mitchell already grows two of those crops and says he’d like to learn more about camelina.

“If it’s got potential to have a decent yield in this area and can make some money, we’re definitely going to raise camelina for the facility if they have a call for it,” says Edinger. “If you have a facility that wants it and needs it, that makes a huge difference in the marketing of these specialty crops. I see a more diverse rotation coming into the area.”

Deinert and Edinger both attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the processing plant in Mitchell on Tuesday. This will be the fourth soy processing plant in South Dakota.