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New soybean crush facility planned for northwest Iowa

Construction of a new soybean crushing plant in northwest Iowa is expected to begin next spring.

Mid-Iowa Cooperative CEO Mike Kinley tells Brownfield the Platinum Crush facility will crush 38.5 million bushels annually and create more than 50 high-quality jobs in Buena Vista County.

“We are in the midst of wrapping up our air permits submission, and once that happens that’ll be in the hands of the Iowa DNR. But all indications for us across all the milestones that we need to achieve, we’ll be starting to break ground probably in April of 2022.”

He says the plant should be fully operational by mid-2024, pending state and local incentive package proposals.

“Northwest Iowa, with the type of soil they have and the production practices they have up there (are) second to none in the world in my opinion. They produce a great crop of soybeans on a very consistent basis, and it’s one of those areas we feel needs a new world-class soy crush facility.”

Kinley points out the location near Alta also has Class 1 railroad access and is centered around several feed mills.

Economic analysis shows the $350 million plant would improve the bottom line for area farmers and generate an additional $35 million a year for the community.