MITCHELL, S.D. – Several cranes tower above a busy construction site along state Highway 37 south of Mitchell where work is rapidly progressing on a $500 million grain plant that will be the latest addition to South Dakota’s growing agricultural processing industry.
For generations, the state has served as an agricultural production hub in the Great Plains, growing millions of bushels of corn and soybeans and raising millions of cows and hogs annually. For many years, most of the state’s high-output food producers shipped their goods to be processed at plants elsewhere.
As those commodities left the state, so too did the businesses and jobs needed to process agricultural products into their final form. Rural communities in South Dakota lost the potential for growth in local employment, housing and economic development generated by agricultural processing plants.
“Historically, for some reason, here in South Dakota we’ve been content to raise commodities — corn, soybeans, cattle and hogs – and ship them out of state for processing,” said Scott VanderWal, president of the South Dakota Farm Bureau.
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But over the past 30 years, and with increasing frequency in recent years, the state agricultural industry has begun to take advantage of what insiders refer to as “added value.” The term refers to the ability of those in the agriculture industry to generate more revenue from a single product. For instance, growing corn and then using it for food products, animal feed and in ethanol production.
By processing soybeans closer to where they are grown, South Dakota farmers can grow and sell more grain, which leads to spin-off revenues for a host of businesses, including in transportation, fuel, feed and machinery.
“We’re now finding out that we can make a little more money, generate local economic activity and create more jobs if we start adding value to the things we produce,” VanderWal told News Watch.
Details reveal size, scope of new plant
The High Plains Processing plant, now under construction 2 miles south of Mitchell, is being built by South Dakota Soybean Processors, a farmer-owned business that has a soybean plant in Miller and another in Volga, where the company is headquartered.
CEO Tom Kersting said the new plant will provide good-paying jobs now and well into the future and create new revenues for a host of businesses and farmers throughout the region. It will also generate significant new property taxes for local governments and sales taxes for state government, he said.
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The soybean plant under construction south of Mitchell, S.D., shown on Oct. 17, 2024, is well-positioned to transport products with its proximity to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad line and Interstate 90. (Photo: Bart Pfankuch / South Dakota News Watch)
Construction costs are estimated to be about $500 million, and the target date for operations to begin is October 2025, Kersting told News Watch. The plant will be able to process soybeans as well as sunflower seeds and other grain products if market conditions warrant, he said.
Finished products will mainly include oils and animal feed. The plant will have capacity to process 100,000 bushels of soybeans a day (about 35 million bushels a year), which makes it the second-largest plant behind the AGP soybean plant in Aberdeen, which has an annual capacity of 50 million bushels.
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The Mitchell plant has about 300 construction workers on site now and expects to employ 75 to 85 full-time employees once operational. The expansion will create another dozen or so positions that will work at the company offices in Volga in support of the plant.
Kersting said the addition of new, consistent capacity for grain products at the Mitchell plant should not only stabilize but also increase the prices paid to local soybean and sunflower farmers.
“Without it, you’d be much more dependent on the export markets for pricing,” he said. “By having the demand locally, and having it year-round, there’s an opportunity for higher prices for farmers.”
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Other than soybean oil, these three bags contain the other major products produced at the AGP soybean plant in Aberdeen, S.D. Photographed on Oct. 23, 2024, the bags (left to right) contain soybean hulls, pelleted soybean hulls and hulls. (Photo: Bart Pfankuch / South Dakota News Watch)
In addition to oils, used in biofuels and in some food products, the plant will also produce seed meal that is used to feed animals, mainly hogs and poultry, he said. Kersting said that once fully processed, a 60-pound bushel of soybeans will yield about 44 pounds of meal feed, 11 pounds of oil and 4 pounds of husks, with a slight amount of moisture loss making up the final pound.
The new plant will be strategically located just 2 miles from Interstate 90 and within shouting distance of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad line, Kersting said.
Benefit to Mitchell and well beyond
The excitement over the plant’s potential for economic benefits is palpable even in a brief conversation with David Lambert, regional development director for the Mitchell Area Chamber of Commerce.
“We’re just tickled,” he said. “From our perspective, we feel that the impact is going to be huge.”
Lambert said the plant’s economic impact will be felt most in Mitchell, where he expects many workers will live and spend money. The plant will create new revenue opportunities in several economic sectors, including housing, grocery, retail and transportation, he said. Nearby cities and towns will also see benefits, not only from increased capacity to sell grain but also in the same tangential ways Mitchell will benefit economically, he said.
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The regional farm economy will also see a big boost, Lambert said. For instance, the new demand for soybeans created by the plant could raise the price of beans by 20 cents per bushel, which could generate $6 million a year in new income for area grain producers, he said.
“We know that when farmers have money, they spend that money, and they tend to do it locally,” Lambert said. “So the regional impact is so huge, and that is even after you take into account the 75 new, well-paid employees with an annual payroll over $4 million.”
Lambert said the chamber has already heard from businesses directly or indirectly related to the grain industry that are eyeing a potential move to or expansion within the regional Mitchell market.
“We’ve already started to see some new opportunities from folks who want to take advantage of the economic activity that will be created by the plant,” he said.
A value-added revolution in South Dakota
The South Dakota processing expansion began in earnest roughly 35 years ago when Poet biofuels began production of ethanol from corn in Scotland in the late 1980s. Since then, ethanol production has expanded to nine companies processing 740 million bushels into roughly 1.3 billion gallons of ethanol worth about $3 billion annually.
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South Dakota could see a huge economic benefit from the $1 billion Net-Zero 1 plant proposed by the company Gevo for a site east of Lake Preston, where corn would be processed into sustainable biofuel for jets. Officials from Colorado-based Gevo said the proposed plant, which recently received a $1.46 billion commitment from the Department of Energy Loan Programs Office, could create thousands of jobs once operational.
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The state has also seen rapid expansion of milk processing, with new or expanded cheesemaking plants in Milbank (Valley Queen Cheese), Brookings (Bel Brands) and Lake Norden (Agropur). The increased processing capacity has allowed the state’s population of milk cows to more than double over roughly the past decade, from 91,000 cows in 2012 to about 210,000 in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
According to the USDA, South Dakota dairy farmers produced 4.5 billion pounds of milk in 2023, up from 3.1 billion pounds in 2020 and 2 billion pounds in 2013.
The AGP plant in Aberdeen, S.D., shown on Oct. 23, 2024, is the state’s largest soybean processing plant with an annual capacity of 50 million bushels. (Photo: Bart P{Pfankuch / South Dakota News Watch)
Agricultural processing plants serve as major employers in several South Dakota cities. The Dakota Provisions pork and poultry plant in Huron has variable employment that can range from 600 to 1,000. The state’s largest soybean plant, the AGP plant in Aberdeen that opened in 2019 at a cost of $300 million, has about 60 full-time workers.
In addition to jobs in the plant and an increase in production capacity for individual farmers, increased processing of commodities closer to where South Dakota farmers produce them creates jobs and revenue for local trucking companies, parts and maintenance firms, fuel providers and sellers of machinery, VanderWal said.
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“We’re providing jobs or creating economic activity because those processing plants need supplies and parts and people to run them, and all those things that go along with that,” he said.
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VanderWal said recent efforts to expand in-state processing of beef cattle, as reported by News Watch in 2023, would also generate new income and reduce costs for South Dakota ranchers, who raised 3.5 million cattle and calves in 2023, according to USDA data.
On Nov. 13, 2024, a 30,000-square-foot beef plant proposed for a site just north of New Underwood in Pennington County was awarded a $600,000 South Dakota Works Loan from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development for first-year operational funding.
“In the cattle industry, especially years ago, most of our feeder cattle actually got shipped out of state for feeding even, and then further processing,” he said. “We’ve put a lot of effort in the last few years into feeding them here. So we’re using our own feed stuff, so corn, basically, and silage and things like that. So then the next step to avoid having to haul them so far when they’re finished and ready for market, is to process them here.”
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This story was produced by South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit news organization. Read more in-depth stories at sdnewswatch.org and sign up for an email every few days to get stories as soon as they’re published. Contact Bart Pfankuch at bart.pfankuch@sdnewswatch.org.
GEORGE TOWN, George Town (AP) — Kalen Garry scored 20 points as South Dakota State beat Duquesne 71-60 on Sunday at the Cayman Islands Classic.
Garry also had five rebounds for the Jackrabbits (5-1). Oscar Cluff scored 17 points while shooting 6 of 10 from the field and 5 for 6 from the free-throw line and added 11 rebounds and five assists. Matthew Mors had 15 points and shot 4 of 7 from the field, including 1 for 3 from 3-point range, and went 6 for 8 from the foul line.
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The Dukes (0-5) were led by Tre Dinkins, who recorded 19 points and two steals. Maximus Edwards added 11 points for Duquesne. Jake DiMichele finished with 10 points.
South Dakota State was tied with Duquesne at the half, 33-33, with Garry (12 points) its high scorer before the break. Joe Sayler’s 3-pointer with 8:54 remaining in the second half gave South Dakota State the lead for good at 52-51.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
UNI’s Parker Keckeisen discusses matchup with Carter Starocci
Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen discusses matchup with Carter Starocci, season ahead
As expected, Northern Iowa wrestling’s dual vs. South Dakota State on Sunday went down to the wire.
Senior heavyweight Lance Runyon and his 7-2 win over No. 28 Luke Rasmussen was the final decider, as the Southeast Polk alum’s takedown and two reversals tied the dual at 15 each by the end of the event, with UNI winning by criteria with the most bout points scored.
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The teams evenly split all 10 bouts, with zero bonus-point victories. While the Jackrabbits brought a tough team to the UNI-Dome, with multiple highly ranked wrestlers, several former Hawkeyes and native Iowans in the lineup, Runyon’s heroics in the dual made the difference.
A pair of wrestlers returned to the mat for UNI after missing all of last season with injury in Kyle Gollhofer at 125 pounds and Cory Land at 133 pounds. Both looked stout against ranked opponents, as Gollhoffer lost an overtime bout with No. 5 Tanner Jordan and Land scrambled his way to a 9-7 win over No. 24 Derrick Cardinal.
To lead 9-6 at the break, Cael Happel picked up a 4-1 win by decision over Julian Tagg at 141 pounds and Ryder Downey secured a stout 8-1 win over No. 17 Cobe Siebrecht, a former Iowa Hawkeye NCAA qualifier at 157 pounds.
The Jackrabbits roared back with a pair of wins by decisions form former Hawkeye Drake Rhodes over Jack Thomsen (12-7), followed by Southeast Polk alum and No. 3 Cade Devos coming back to defeat No. 19 Jared Simma to take a 12-9 lead.
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Following a win by decision for No. 2 Parker Keckeisen over No. 4 Bennett Berge in his dual debut of the season after winning a national title, another former Hawkeye in No. 8 Zach Glazier scored the lone takedown of the match against No. 15 Wyatt Voelker to put SDSU up 15-12 heading into the last match.
With Runyon’s win, the dual was tied 15-15 in the team score, but the Panthers outscored the Jackrabbits 62-51 in total match points to win by 16-15 by criteria.
UNI Wrestling vs. South Dakota State box score
125: Tanner Jordan (SDSU) over Kyle Gollhofer (UNI) (SV-1 7-4)
133: Cory Land (UNI) over Derrick Cardinal (SDSU) (Dec 9-7)
141: Cael Happel (UNI) over Julian Tagg (SDSU) (Dec 4-1)
149: Colin Dupill (SDSU) over Adam Allard (UNI) (Dec 7-6)
157: Ryder Downey (UNI) over Cobe Siebrecht (SDSU) (Dec 8-1)
165: Drake Rhodes (SDSU) over Jack Thomsen (UNI) (Dec 12-7)
174: Cade DeVos (SDSU) over Jared Simma (UNI) (Dec 7-6)
184: Parker Keckeisen (UNI) over Bennett Berge (SDSU) (Dec 8-3)
197: Zach Glazier (SDSU) over Wyatt Voelker (UNI) (Dec 4-3)
285: Lance Runyon (UNI) over Luke Rasmussen (SDSU) (Dec 7-2)
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
The wait for a press conference following Tuesday’s 80-74 loss to Milwaukee was the longest since the six-win 2021-22 Duquesne Men’s Basketball Team, but during that time, words had to be said, and head coach Dru Joyce III had some points to get across.
His team, now 0-4 needed to hear him speak and needed to understand what it takes to be winners.
Duquesne men’s and women’s basketball on PSN is sponsored by Moon Golf Club.
Duquesne has been in this position before, in fact earlier this year, when it started 0-5 in Atlantic 10 play. While this can be used as a reference and rallying point, there are countless different pieces in this group and their understanding of what it takes to win could be crucial in determining the outcome of its season.
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With that in mind, Duquesne has three games in the Cayman Island Classic, the first of which tips off Sunday at 1:30 p.m. against South Dakota State.
Here are two keys to prepare for that contest.
1. Determine what being a winner looks like–
“(We’re) going through different challenges. New group of guys trying to learn and gel from each other. No talent issue, we need to develop an attitude of buying in and being completely unselfish especially on the defensive end.” – Jake DiMichele
As mentioned earlier in a three keys piece, there is a simple recipe that makes Duquesne good, getting stops and moving the ball.
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Duquesne’s runs on Tuesday game from getting defensive stops, it was what allowed the Dukes to experience success and clearly the same holds true if they desire victories.
Last year that entailed sacrifices from everyone on the team and the same holds true this season.
Ball movement is just as critical. Far too many times the ball stuck in an area for as much as five seconds, and Joyce had to shout at his team to move the ball.
This season’s high mark for assists is 15 and that is not going to win Duquesne many games. While the aforementioned six-win team would have killed for 15 assists a night, the talent on this Dukes team is far too much to settle for that mark.
“When we minimize the importance of a possession defensively and not be sound and make mistakes, we pay for them,” Joyce explained. “We haven’t been able to get past any mistake that we make. It’s like we owe somebody money. When we don’t move the ball, we struggle. The ball moves we develop good shots. When we lack those things, that’s where the struggle in play comes. We continue to hurt ourselves. It’s not necessarily the other team; it’s us because we are capable of defending.”
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2. Determine a starting five– Under normal circumstances a starting five is not finite and can be ceremonial, but what made Duquesne succeed last year was players understanding his respective role. It is no coincidence that once those were fleshed out, it was off to the races.
Having a steady starting lineup in game five may seem like an overreaction on paper, but it would go a long way in establishing those roles. Of course, those roles can change but the lineup should reward those who have brought it most and can find ways to gel on the court.
Of course, this season is new for everyone, and Duquesne is still recovering from injuries, so there is a period of determining what works, but as far as the win column is concerned, not enough has and when it goes south, it gets exposed.
There also needs to be a willingness to ride the hot hand. In the first half of the Milwaukee game that was Matus Hronsky, he had the most juice of any Duquesne player, but in a coach’s decision, he spent much of the second half on the bench and when he did come in, he had lost his juice. Not only does riding the hot hand reward that player, but it sends a clear message to those on the court that this is the standard if you want to stay on the court.
Personally, my starting five right now would be as follows: Jake DiMichele, Tre Dinkins III, Jakub Necas, Jahsean Corbett, David Dixon, and yes this accounts for all four games.
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DiMichele posted a career high Tuesday and stepped up vocally. He makes the right plays, is a winner and most importantly, is finally coming around in health.
There have been calls for DiMichele to start earlier, but that was not wise. Even he admits he missed an extended period of time and had 2-3 practices before the season opener against Lipscomb, where he got back cut on multiple occasions.
DiMichele can find his shot, can move the ball and most importantly sacrifices and sells out defensively. He can set an example in that regard that his teammates can follow.
Dinkins showed a lot in the second half of Milwaukee and took a couple of big shots a la Dae Dae Grant. While they did not go in, it was the first true showing of point-blank rise and fire. His rally and heart were very noticeable, and it frankly might have been the most heart any Dukes player has displayed thus far. That was absolutely noticed on the court.
Necas was slowed by an injury during workouts, but is a player who puts in the work, can guard practically any position on the court and when right, is a mismatch that can expose an opponent’s weaknesses. He will get going and this is not just based on last year, but the quiet confidence he possesses. The three spot in basketball today is adaptable and has to be a counter puncher based on what the game calls for, and it makes the most sense.
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Corbett has been Duquesne’s most consistent player thus far. He has made the jump from Chicago State and applied himself very well. He had his below par game against Milwaukee, largely due to foul trouble, but he has been the best post thus far, shoots 42.1% from the field, leads the team at 5.8 rebounds per game and finishes plays. He should be rewarded for all of this.
Dixon was injured the summer, but based on what he has shown, especially defensively, deserves the first shot to get right and put it together. He will get stronger as the season progresses and while at 16.7 minutes per game, provided he can avoid the fouls, he can change the game with one block and offensively can give the most versatility from any post on the roster. Dixon’s confidence in himself preseason was the highest it has been in his now three years and giving him the chance to prove that is important for both sides.
There are several knocking on the door, but you also want to have a punch off the bench where the quality can maintain or increase, something just as important that Keith Dambrot was great at finding.
Four games in, Duquesne has 81 fouls, meaning it is getting whistles blown just a tick over 20 times a game, which is also far too much, as is the 50.2% opposing field goal percentage.
The Dukes need to remember what butters their bread so to speak and come together to once again change the story.
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Ultimately, no matter who starts, it is imperative to find combinations that work, there has been nearly a month to find that and with that achieve trust, belief and execution on the court.
By no means is it time to press a panic button yet. It is four games into the season and there is far too much belief to do that.
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