Officials of the Ag Innovation campus in Beltrami, Minnesota have announced that they plan to complete the construction process of the crushing plant, natural gas lines, below-ground drainage work and installation of utility to be in September of 2022.
The AG Innovation Campus crushing plant project, which is estimated to cost US$12 million to US$15 million, will crush 2.5 million bushels of soybeans, and eventually, other oilseeds yearly. The Minnesota Legislature partially financed US$5 million in funding towards the plant. The 2019 Ag Omnibus bill, signed by the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, provided the US$5 million for the Ag Innovation Campus. Construction has been ongoing for two months now.
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The first phase of the AG Innovation Campus crushing plant project will be construction of the crushing facility and a couple of research bays. Besides soybeans, the officials are also planning on adding canola and sunflower to the list, and eventually, if feasible, cover crops such as camelina. The coronavirus pandemic, which resulted in a shortage, and subsequent increase in construction materials such as steel, caused a significant increase in the total cost of the AG Innovation Campus. It has been estimated that the cost was raised by nearly 40%. The 67,000-square-foot plant will be on 10 acres and will have as many as 70 employees when fully operational.
“The development of cover crops has been limited due to the lack of processing facilities, so that there is a return on the investment for farmers to plant it. Sooner or later, we believe someone will introduce the right kind of crop to our region. Our objective is to make that space available, whether it’s a new kind of soybean or cover crop or something in-between. It’s a really fantastic region to put this plant in because of the willingness of the farmers over the last 10 years to raise specialty crops. It’s a really, crop-wise, diverse region. This plant will highlight that,” said Tom Slunecka, Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council CEO.
