Nov. 8 – Bunge is expanding its Decatur plant again with a $19.2 million project that will increase soybean receiving capacity and reduce the number of trucks on Church Street Northeast during the harvest season, officials said Thursday.
Facilities manager Rusty Roberts told the Decatur Industrial Development Board that the planned project will allow the soybean processing plant to double its receiving capacity to 40 trucks and 30,000 bushels per hour.
The project will allow Bunge to increase its truck unloading capacity while increasing overall efficiency and reducing waiting time for truck drivers, he said.
The plant is a fully integrated facility that receives soybeans from farmers within a 300-mile radius and then produces soybean oil, soybean meal and various oil blends.
The products are then used to produce animal feed, cooking oil and vegetable proteins, which are key ingredients for many consumer and restaurant brands.
The new project includes:
—Two full-length truck pits measuring 30 feet by 14 feet.
—Two new bucket elevators.
—Four new towing transporters.
—Replacement of three open filling belts with storage tanks with a capacity of 7 million bushels.
—Replacing manual gates with automated gates.
—Refinishing the concrete headhouse area for an engine control room.
Roberts said the project, which will not add any new employees, is intended to make the plant more efficient.
“The farmers are our customers,” Roberts said. “This will allow us to move more trucks through the facility faster.”
Mayor Tab Bowling said he appreciates Bunge’s willingness to undertake this project, especially because it will help reduce truck congestion on Church Street Northeast that often occurs during harvest.
“It will help our farmers because they won’t have to wait as long,” Bowling said. “And it improves safety in this area.”
Jeremy Nails, president and CEO of the Morgan County Economic Development Association, said these improved efficiencies will help local soybean farmers during harvest.
“This project will help Bunge stay competitive, and that is what we want to see,” Nails said.
Roberts said they plan to start construction in December. The deadline for the contract is December 2025, but he said they will do everything they can to complete the project before next fall’s harvest. They haven’t chosen a contractor yet.
The IDB unanimously approved the reduction of $444,470 in Decatur and state sales and use taxes during the construction period. It also agreed to a reduction of $624,000 over ten years in non-educational taxes on real estate and personal property.
