Scoular Co.’s new $13 million barley facility in Jerome, ID, will initially process roughly 4% of the state’s total barley production but that number could increase significantly in the coming years if demand for the product produced there surges as expected.
According to a report from the Post Register, during a Sept. 17 groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility, company officials said demand for the barley protein concentrate the plant will produce for the aquaculture and pet food industries is expected to increase substantially.
Scoular CEO Paul Maass said the company has “big visions to be able to expand and grow (the facility’s production).”
Scoular is building a 15,000-square-foot facility to manufacture the barley protein concentrate. The building will be constructed on four acres south of Scoular’s existing livestock feed ingredients facility in Jerome.
The operation is expected to create 13 jobs and begin manufacturing in May 2021.
Scoular, based in Omaha, NE, selected Jerome in south-central Idaho because of its proximity to its valued grain producer customers and end markets for the manufactured products, said JC Olson, Product Group Manager for Scoular. Idaho is the leading state for barley production in the United States.
Scoular’s presence in Idaho includes several grain handling facilities and the state-of-the-art livestock ingredients facility in Jerome. Initially, the new manufacturing plant is projected to process 1.9 million bushels of barley annually, with capacity projected to expand over the next several years. A high-energy liquid feed supplement for cattle feeders will be co-produced.
“We look forward to making this investment in both Jerome and the state of Idaho,” Olson says. “This facility and innovative barley product will create a new market and greater stability for farmers in the Magic Valley region and throughout Idaho.”
In June, Scoular and Montana Microbial Products announced that they had entered into an exclusive licensing agreement to produce and sell the barley protein concentrate, or BPC, in North America and Asia.
BPC is made from non-GMO barley in a process that does not use harsh chemicals or solvents. BPC will provide a non-GMO, clean-label solution for aquaculture and pet food manufacturers seeking high-protein nutrition for their formulas.
