CHERRYVALE, KS — Burns & McDonnell is working with the engineering and construction team at Savage, a global provider of industrial logistics infrastructure and supply chain services, to provide a range of engineer-procure-construction management (EPCM) services for what will be the largest soybean crushing facility in the state of Kansas. Bartlett, a part of the Savage family of companies, will own and operate the plant. The Bartlett plant will be capable of processing up to 45 million bushels of soybeans annually for feed, food, and renewable fuels.

WATCO, owner and operator of the South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad, will design the rail infrastructure serving the plant, with construction being completed by AmeriTrack. The rail line will connect to a network of Class 1 carriers, resulting in a range of rail service enhancements that will benefit the region. Hogenson Construction Company will provide design-build services for the meal storage, grain storage, and related handling facilities, which includes operating capacity to handle simultaneous loading and unloading of unit trains. Crown Iron Works (CIW) will provide the advanced processing equipment needed for extraction, degumming, bleaching, deodorizing, and other units needed for processing end-stage products.

“We’re excited to be partnered with these major players in agribusiness to bring good jobs to Kansas and provide needed feedstock for the quickly expanding renewable fuels market,” said Ed Anello, Vice President and Manager of Projects for the Oil, Gas, & Chemical Group at Burns & McDonnell. “The task of reducing global carbon emissions will require more projects like this as we link up critical supply chains for renewable fuels while at the same time optimizing supply chains for food and feed products.”

Initial site work began in April, followed by a formal groundbreaking ceremony in June 2022. Road, rail, and grain storage facilities are expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2023, and the entire plant is expected to be operational by the third quarter of 2024. Located in Southeast Kansas, near the town of Cherryvale in Montgomery County, the Bartlett facility will be the largest soybean crushing facility in Kansas when it becomes operational.

Burns & McDonnell is already executing several renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel projects, including for pretreatment and later-stage processing for a wide range of feedstocks necessary to ramp up production of renewable transportation fuels.