US employee-owned agribusiness Scoular has announced that it would be converting a sunflower facility in Goodland, northwest Kansas, into a soyabean/canola crushing plant.
The converted plant, which Scoular purchased in 2021, was expected to become operational late next year, the company said on 14 March.
Switching between canola and soyabean crushing according to availability, the facility would process 11M bushels of oilseeds/year, Scoular said.
The company said it would also be able to process low-carbon crops, such as camelina, as they developed in the future.
Due to its high-oil content, canola was of value in the renewable fuels sector, particularly for use in the growing renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) markets, the company said.
“This investment will provide producers with the opportunity to participate in the booming renewable fuels market,” Ed Prosser, the company’s senior vice president of Emerging Businesses, said.
Scoular said it was also partnering with Kansas State University to advise farmers on best practices for growing canola.
The crop was well-suited for planting in a winter wheat rotation in the Southern Great Plains and could improve weed control and wheat yields, the company said.
Nebraska-based Scoular buys, sells, stores, handles and processes grain and ingredients and has more than 100 offices and facilities in North America and Asia.
According to Sosland Publishing Co’s 2023 Grain & Milling Annual, the company operates 48 country elevators and 15 processing plants in North America.
