On Oct. 24, Agtegra’s St. Lawrence grain elevator was recommissioned for the sole purpose of receiving high oleic soybeans from area farmers, reports The Dispatch.
The facility, on the Rapid City, Pierre, and Eastern rail line, has been handling grain since 1926. Over the years there have been many updates and additions, and it was the main elevator for local farmers to deliver and sell their grain.
The high oleic soybeans produce a heart healthy oil and were first grown in 2016 by four producers.
The 2016 crop yielded a few thousand bushels that were crushed at the South Dakota Soybean Processor plant just east of St. Lawrence.
In 2019, about 60,000 acres of high oleic beans were contracted, and in 2020 the goal is over 100,000 acres in South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa.
Landus is crushing the beans into oil and meal.
