High Plains Processing’s $500 million soybean processing plant near Mitchell, SD began operations in October 2025. Photos courtesy of High Plains Processing.
High Plains Processing began soybean processing operations in October 2025 at a $500 million plant near Mitchell, SD. The plant is a joint venture between South Dakota Soybean Processors, LLC (SDSP) and BP Products North America Inc., a subsidiary of BP plc, (bp).
Tom Kersting, CEO of South Dakota Soybean Processors, told Processing Journal in an interview that the plant is ramping up production toward its goal of reaching its annual production capacity of 35 million bushels of oilseeds. “It’s a switch plant that has a multi-seed processing capacity,” he noted.
Although soybeans will be the main feedstock for the plant’s processing operations, sunflowers and camelina produced west of Mitchell also are anticipated to be processed by the plant along with canola from northern regions, stated Kersting, who has been CEO of SDSP since 2011.
The plant expects to process 35 million bushels of soybeans annually, sourced within a 50-mile radius of Mitchell. That volume of soybeans represents almost 15% of the estimated 242.8 million bushels of soybeans produced in 2025 by farmers in South Dakota, the eighth largest soybean producing state, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Most of the soybeans are delivered to the plant by truck.
The plant was built on a BNSF rail line and has three loop tracks, each able to accommodate more than 100 rail cars. The rail line allows High Plains Processing to deliver its soybean oil for refining into renewable diesel production. A majority of the meal will be delivered to Pacific Northwest ports for export to Asia for livestock feed, Kersting noted.
High Plains Processing is managed by SDSP, an LLC headquartered in Volga, SD. SDSP is owned by approximately 2,200 members, most of them from South Dakota and surrounding states. SDSP also operates a processing plant in Volga and another plant located east of Miller and St. Lawrence Townships.
SDSP markets and sells soybean meal primarily to resellers, feed mills, and livestock producers as livestock feed; crude and refined soybean oil to the food, biodiesel, and chemical industries; and soybean hulls. It also provides contracting services for the construction and management of oilseed processing plants.
Joint Venture Goals
In March 2024, it was announced at a private groundbreaking ceremony held for the High Plains Processing plant that a joint venture had been formed between bp and High Plains Partners, LLC, which is owned mostly by the members of SDSP and some other investors, Kersting said.
“We are excited to have bp, one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies, as a strategic partner in this new venture,” Kersting added. “The investment by bp further strengthens our business plan by providing direct access and vision into the rapidly growing renewable fuels market.”
Nigel Dunn, senior vice president of biofuels growth at bp, stated in an announcement of the joint venture that bp is developing high-value, lower-carbon intensity feedstocks for its biofuels business. He said the company has ambitious plans to grow its production of biofuels to 100,000 barrels a day by 2030.
“We are delighted to be working together with High Plains Processing in this multi-seed crush plant which will form part of our competitively positioned supply chain,” said Dunn.
High Plains Processing will have an estimated 85 full-time employees and payroll of approximately $5.5 million annually when it is at full capacity, according to the company.
SDSP began its business as a 521 farmers’ cooperative, Kersting said, and began processing soybeans in 1996. It transitioned to an LLC in 2002. It also provides contracting services for the construction and management of oilseed processing plants and acted as the general contractor for the High Plains Processing project, he said. Its engineering group also contributed.
A-Lert Construction Services of Fredonia, KS was the primary construction contractor and Younglove Construction of Sioux City, IA also did construction work, Kersting noted.
by Jerry Perkins, contributing editor