Bruce Haines looks forward to each day if only to scan the horizon for the cranes working on the soybean crush plant near his farm south of Mitchell, South Dakota.
“I see something that is the most exciting thing I’ve ever seen in my lifetime,” said Haines, about the construction progress on the facility that’s a little more than a year away from commencing operations. “The soybean crush plant is going to allow us to have so many opportunities to find new uses for soybeans. This soybean crush plant will ratchet up the soy oil use in South Dakota to where the crush plants [in this state] will be crushing nearly a third of all the soybeans raised in South Dakota.” That includes this new plant near Mitchell and the others currently operating in the state.
Haines, a member of the South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council board, said the three cranes he sees working are analogous to one, the farmers raising soybeans, two, the farmer-funded checkoff that strengthens demand through promotion, research and education, and three, the plant that adds value by crushing soybeans.
“I feel like I see on the horizon the future, and the future looks great. It’s so fantastic to see it in the morning and change my perspective on the whole day,” he said, of the cranes that are in his field of view. “It’s been a blessing to watch that plant start and the community to work together and the farmers in the area to help out. I see a different vision for soybeans in the future.”
There are going to be challenges in agriculture, according to Haines, adding that profitability might not always be as robust as every farmer wants. On the other hand, he maintains that farmers are not complacent, and despite challenges, will not pass up opportunities such as the new soybean crush plant at Mitchell.
Click here to see more...