Gov. Doug Burgum and Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford today joined officials from ADM and Marathon Petroleum Corp. (MPC) at the Spiritwood Energy Park to help break ground on the Green Bison Soy Processing plant, North Dakota’s first dedicated soybean processing plant, highlighting the project as an example of how partnerships between agriculture and energy are growing both sectors in North Dakota.

The $350 million Green Bison facility, a joint venture of ADM and MPC, will process up to 150,000 bushels of soybeans per day and supply vegetable oil as a feedstock for MPC’s renewable diesel refinery in Dickinson to produce up to 75 million gallons of renewable diesel annually. The Green Bison facility is expected to be online by the 2023 harvest.

Burgum and Sanford worked with ADM and MPC, as well as other state agencies, North Dakota’s congressional delegation and local economic development leaders in Jamestown and Stutsman County, to secure ADM as a tenant in the Spiritwood Energy Park, an industrial park with over 500 acres about 10 miles east of Jamestown.

“As a Top 10 soybean-producing state, the ADM-MPC joint venture is a gamechanger that will provide lasting benefits for North Dakota soybean growers,” Burgum said. “Green Bison will add value and expand the market for one of our farmers’ most important crops, while also creating 75 direct jobs and diversifying our economy to support our communities, our citizens and the entire state. It’s also a shining example of the growing synergy between our agriculture and energy sectors in North Dakota. We appreciate ADM and MPC for this significant investment in our state and their well-placed faith in our highly productive and innovative farmers, and we’re grateful for the efforts of Lt. Gov. Sanford and so many other state, federal and local partners who helped make this happen.”

“We want to thank ADM and Marathon Petroleum for this great example of bringing agriculture and energy – and east and west – together for a North Dakota solution to ag market concerns and low emission fuel standards by turning North Dakota soybeans into renewable diesel fuel,” Sanford said. “Spiritwood is a great example of a community making a value-added ag-energy park a reality by figuring out the zoning and infrastructure challenges before the projects materialize. Congratulations to Jamestown, Stutsman County, ADM and Marathon Petroleum!”