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CHS and public officials marked a significant milestone for the Evansville project with a ceremonial groundbreaking on October 7, 2026, for a planned $700 million soybean processing facility. The project's impact on bulk transportation is set to be substantial, encompassing three primary logistics streams: the arrival of raw soybeans for processing, the departure of liquid soybean oil for downstream markets, and the movement of dry meal into the livestock feed sector.
According to CHS, the plant is expected to process approximately 80 million bushels of soybeans annually. Projections from the October 7 announcement include the production of 1 billion pounds of oil and 2 million tons of meal each year. While construction is slated to commence following the completion of necessary permitting, these figures establish a massive scale for the prospective shipping location. For carriers, while the total volumes are clear, specific details regarding freight awards, dedicated routes, and the timeline for reaching full production capacity remain to be determined.
The cooperative's project data identifies renewable fuel markets and its soybean-oil refinery in Mankato, Minnesota, as the primary outlets for the extracted oil. The meal is intended for local and regional livestock-feed markets, making the project highly relevant to both liquid-bulk operators and agricultural dry-bulk carriers. As oil serves as a feedstock for further processing and meal supplies animal nutrition, the facility represents a diverse source of bulk freight with requirements dictated by buyer specifications.
The Wisconsin Soybean Association has highlighted the strategic proximity of the site to the state's dairy and livestock industries. Association President Doug Rebout, a Janesville farmer, noted that a nearby processor could shorten market distances and provide growers with an additional competitive buyer. This suggests a varied effect on regional logistics; some soybean deliveries may move to closer destinations, while the resulting oil and meal will require new outbound distribution patterns that change route lengths and customer locations for regional fleets.
Logistically, CHS has specified a design capacity for 40 soybean truck dumps per hour and 17 meal truck loadings per hour. The facility will also feature three separate in-plant rail loops connecting with Union Pacific. This rail access is a critical factor for evaluating trucking prospects, as the output will be split between road and rail modes. Ultimately, the Evansville project will materially enlarge CHS's processing network, increasing its current throughput of 119 million bushels by more than two-thirds. While the investment originally targeted completion by fall 2028, current activities remain focused on permitting and development.
Source: Tank Transport