County Courts Soy Processing Plant
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
The Louis Dreyfus Corp. is one of the world's oldest and largest merchandizers of grains and oilseeds.
Monday the company held an informational meeting about its proposal to build a $100 million soybean processing plant southwest of Claypool.
The plant is just phase one of a three-step process that could eventually develop into an agro-industrial park, including a biodiesel plant and ethanol plant.
"You only see something like this happen once in your lifetime," said Don Zolman of Zolman Farms about the facility. "The improvement in markets is going to be dramatic for all area producers. It's a great thing for the community, too.
"I dont' think we can really quantify what's going to happen to that community over the next 10 to 15 years."
Once the facility, if it's built in Kosciusko County, is operational, 60 to 100 high-quality jobs will be available. The employees are going to want to live near where they work.
Zolman, a member of the Indiana Corn Marketing Council, said the agro-industrial park means support businesses in the transportation and service industries will be developed, too.
The boon to local ag producers is incalculatable, he said.
"My father was born and raised in Claypool, he's ecstatic over what will happen to the community," Zolman said.
Louis Dreyfus Operations Manager Mike Mandl wants the company's information sheet to speak for itself.
What it says is the final selection of Claypool as a development site is dependent upon several things: costs, the amount of economic development incentives provided by the state and county and securing necessary government permits.
Joy McCarthy-Session, the Warsaw-Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce executive director and president of Kosciusko Development Inc. has been working with Dreyfus representatives for more than eight months.
She said that while no final decision on a location has been made, Kosciusko County is being looked upon very favorably.
This kind of soybean plant will process 4,000 metric tons, or 140,000 bushels, per day, according to Mandl.
"Most of plants I've viewed operate cleanly," Zolman said. "They're sensitive to the environment. They have to be because their requirements are so stringent.
"This is a first rate company making its first foray into the processing part of the industry. They've always a leader in grain marketing world-wide.
"I think this will be their flagship. I'm anticipating, from their reputation, this will be something people will come from all over the world to see."
Lewis Dreyfus representatives indicate the agro-industrial park, situated on about 250 acres, will generate substantial benefits for the state by processing Indiana-grown soybeans which are now being shipped to other states for processing.
The plant's production may mean millions of dollars in reduced feed costs for livestock and poultry producers.
Phase 2 of the park would be an 80 million gallon per year biodiesel plant that would more than double the 30 million gallons of biodiesel produced in the U.S. in 2004.
Phase 3 of the park would be construction of a 100 million gallon ethanol plant.
Louis Dreyfus is headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., with trading offices in Minneapolis, Memphis, and Wilton, Conn. The company has been owned by the Dreyfus family since its founding in 1851.
On the Net:
www.louisdreyfus.com [[In-content Ad]]
The Louis Dreyfus Corp. is one of the world's oldest and largest merchandizers of grains and oilseeds.
Monday the company held an informational meeting about its proposal to build a $100 million soybean processing plant southwest of Claypool.
The plant is just phase one of a three-step process that could eventually develop into an agro-industrial park, including a biodiesel plant and ethanol plant.
"You only see something like this happen once in your lifetime," said Don Zolman of Zolman Farms about the facility. "The improvement in markets is going to be dramatic for all area producers. It's a great thing for the community, too.
"I dont' think we can really quantify what's going to happen to that community over the next 10 to 15 years."
Once the facility, if it's built in Kosciusko County, is operational, 60 to 100 high-quality jobs will be available. The employees are going to want to live near where they work.
Zolman, a member of the Indiana Corn Marketing Council, said the agro-industrial park means support businesses in the transportation and service industries will be developed, too.
The boon to local ag producers is incalculatable, he said.
"My father was born and raised in Claypool, he's ecstatic over what will happen to the community," Zolman said.
Louis Dreyfus Operations Manager Mike Mandl wants the company's information sheet to speak for itself.
What it says is the final selection of Claypool as a development site is dependent upon several things: costs, the amount of economic development incentives provided by the state and county and securing necessary government permits.
Joy McCarthy-Session, the Warsaw-Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce executive director and president of Kosciusko Development Inc. has been working with Dreyfus representatives for more than eight months.
She said that while no final decision on a location has been made, Kosciusko County is being looked upon very favorably.
This kind of soybean plant will process 4,000 metric tons, or 140,000 bushels, per day, according to Mandl.
"Most of plants I've viewed operate cleanly," Zolman said. "They're sensitive to the environment. They have to be because their requirements are so stringent.
"This is a first rate company making its first foray into the processing part of the industry. They've always a leader in grain marketing world-wide.
"I think this will be their flagship. I'm anticipating, from their reputation, this will be something people will come from all over the world to see."
Lewis Dreyfus representatives indicate the agro-industrial park, situated on about 250 acres, will generate substantial benefits for the state by processing Indiana-grown soybeans which are now being shipped to other states for processing.
The plant's production may mean millions of dollars in reduced feed costs for livestock and poultry producers.
Phase 2 of the park would be an 80 million gallon per year biodiesel plant that would more than double the 30 million gallons of biodiesel produced in the U.S. in 2004.
Phase 3 of the park would be construction of a 100 million gallon ethanol plant.
Louis Dreyfus is headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., with trading offices in Minneapolis, Memphis, and Wilton, Conn. The company has been owned by the Dreyfus family since its founding in 1851.
On the Net:
www.louisdreyfus.com [[In-content Ad]]