April 2, 2024
Scoular’s High Plains oilseed crush facility is on target to start operations next fall, connecting Kansas and Oklahoma producers to new markets emerging for canola.
Work is going full throttle to retrofit our facility near Goodland, Kansas, into a dual oilseed crush plant, and we’re getting the right people in place to run it. Key to the operation’s success is ensuring producers have resources and knowledge. Below, we’ve assembled commonly asked questions to help them grow canola with confidence.
Q. What is the scope of the project?
Q. Why is Scoular confident the facility will be viable from the start and over the long term?
A. The plant will crush both soybeans and canola. None of our competitors in the region are crushing both. There is a supply of soybeans to run the facility at 100 percent capacity as High Plains canola acres continue to grow toward our goal of 400,000 acres within four years. The facility will make crushing canola the priority any time it’s available. When canola is not available, the facility will crush soybeans.
Q. Does Scoular intend to stay in the canola market and operate the facility in the years ahead?
A. Yes. Retrofitting the facility into a dual crush plant is a significant investment, and Scoular is in canola for the long haul. Our plans carry the backing of Scoular’s size and financial stability as a $10 billion global agribusiness with 1,400 employees and over 70 facilities, most of them west of the Mississippi River. We know grain, trading more than a billion bushels annually and have earned the reputation with producers of honoring our contracts.
Q. Why is this a good time to grow canola?
A. Demand is surging for vegetable oil to make renewable diesel, and canola yields 40 percent oil vs. 20 percent from soybeans. The current and future demand of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel provides us with the unique market opportunity to provide a competitive price on a proven crop in the High Plains.
Q. What are other benefits of growing canola?
A. Growing canola can increase overall revenue. For example, wheat yields are shown to improve 10-20 percent following canola planted the prior year.
Q. I grow wheat. What will it be like growing canola?
A. If you are a wheat farmer, you can be a canola farmer. You won’t need a new planter or harvester; the farming practices for growing canola are similar to those for wheat. Canola is well-suited for planting in a winter wheat rotation on the High Plains. As mentioned above, the rotation can improve weed control and wheat yields.
Q. How will I get my canola to the crush facility?
A. If you’re within driving distance of a Scoular facility, give your local originator a call. We will be unloading canola at Cullison, Wellington, Coolidge and Horace in Kansas. Additional options include:
Sooner Plains Ag:
Pride Ag Resources:
Scott Cooperative:
Central Prairie Cooperative:
Q. What resources are available to me to grow the crop?
A. Canola MVP is a Scoular program that provides producers access to Kansas State and Oklahoma State University agronomists who will provide guidance on seed varieties and growing canola. We will also offer resources at producer meetings and access to other farmers who have grown it. In addition, we have industry contacts in seed sales as well as in crop insurance.
For more information:
Market Development Manager
