CHS Inc. is investing $700 million into a new soybean processing plant near Evansville, Wisconsin — the cooperative’s second nine-figure capital commitment in three weeks, following its Aug. 26 announcement of a $450 million phosphate fertilizer joint venture with OCP North America in Louisiana. Together, the two projects put roughly $1.15 billion of new CHS capital into U.S. crop-input and processing infrastructure.
The Evansville facility will process 80 million bushels of soybeans a year, producing about 1 billion pounds of soybean oil and 2 million tons of meal annually. Construction is set to start in the coming weeks, with completion targeted for fall 2028.
For CHS, the new plant increases the cooperative’s soybean processing capacity by more than two-thirds. CHS currently crushes about 119 million bushels of soybeans annually at plants in Fairmont and Mankato, Minnesota, and processes 525,000 metric tons of canola seed a year in Hallock, Minnesota.
“Investments like this help CHS create additional value for our owners and customers by expanding market access, strengthening our processing network and creating new demand opportunities for U.S.-grown soybeans,” John Griffith, CHS executive vice president of agriculture business and CHS Hedging said in the co-operative’s press release. “Strong demand across food, feed and renewable fuel markets, coupled with policies that encourage domestic processing, manufacturing and energy production, reinforce the need for additional soybean processing capacity in the United States.”
A new buyer for southern Wisconsin growers
Rock County, where Evansville sits, is Wisconsin’s top soybean-producing county. The National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) called the plant the first large-scale soybean crush facility in Wisconsin and one of the first new U.S. crush plants to break ground in recent years — notable after a stretch in which several proposed crush projects nationally were shelved or delayed amid uncertain biofuels policy.
“For Wisconsin soybean farmers, this investment represents something we have been working toward for years: stronger demand for the crop we grow right here at home,” Doug Rebout, president of the Wisconsin Soybean Association said in a press release. “Additional processing capacity gives growers another reliable market close to the farm and helps create long-term opportunities for Wisconsin soybeans in both meal and oil markets.”
Gov. Tony Evers framed the plant as part of a broader push to keep processing investment in-state: “Whether it’s creating permanent jobs for families or ensuring our farmers and producers have the tools and support they need to get their products to market across the globe, today’s announcement of a new facility is a win-win for our farmers and our state.”
When it’s up and running, CHS says the plant will employ roughly 80 people full time.
Federal biofuel policy brought confidence to the investment
NOPA President and CEO Devin Mogler credited the Trump administration’s EPA renewable volume obligations (RVOs) — finalized May 5, 2026, at record levels for 2026 and 2027 — with driving the investment case. The rule set biomass-based diesel volumes at 8.86 billion gallons for 2026 and 8.95 billion gallons for 2027, with soybean oil as the dominant feedstock.
“This investment is exactly what the Trump EPA’s historic RVOs were designed to deliver,” Mogler said in a NOPA press release. “Our industry has expanded at a remarkable pace, and we are on a path toward processing two out of every three rows of soybeans grown in the U.S. Strong biofuels policies support that growth by creating the signals needed to invest in American processing, add value in rural communities, strengthen markets for farmers, and reduce our dependence on China.”
Jason Marthaler, CHS vice president for the oilseed product line and a NOPA board member, echoed that framing from inside the cooperative: “This investment will strengthen demand for U.S. soybeans by expanding domestic processing capacity. The Evansville facility will create new market opportunities for soybean growers, increase supplies of soybean meal and oil for food, feed and energy markets, and help capture more value from every bushel here in the United States.”
