ATLANTA, Indiana — Seed company Beck’s Hybrids unveiled the completion of its new east soybean tower in Atlanta — one of the largest soybean processing towers in the world. The expansion means that Beck’s is capable of processing 6 million bushels of soybeans per year at this location, doubling the site’s previous capacity.
The 221-by-300-foot facility features a 10-story, stand-alone processing tower that includes an observation deck with a glass floor for visitors to see soybeans being processed, video monitoring on all machinery operations, state-of-the-art batch treating to allow more versatility of ingredients, five new warehouses for seed and equipment storage, and office space.
Indiana is the fifth-largest producer of soybeans in the nation, with about 5.7 million acres in production and annual sales of $3.08 billion. Soybeans are also the state’s largest export crop.
It will take 60,000 soybean production acres to run at full capacity, equaling 150 incoming semi-trailer loads of soybeans delivered per week. Upon arrival, the soybeans will be stored in the new 125,000 bushel receiving storage facility — 20 bins storing 6,250 bushels.
In addition, the facility contains two receiving dumps, two scales, and can process two varieties at once. The tower can process 24,000 bags per day through automated package filling for bulk and mini-bulk bags. Once the soybeans have been processed and packaged, 140 semi-trailer loads will be outgoing weekly.
Beck’s is a family-owned retail seed company, and Beck family members and company leadership were joined this week by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, First Lady Janet Holcomb, and Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers for the ribbon-cutting of the new soybean tower.
“This project would not be possible without the support of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and Hamilton County officials,” said Sonny Beck, CEO of Beck’s. “With their foresight, dedication to Indiana agribusiness, and passion for the growth of the Hoosier economy, we’ve increased capacity, added jobs, and can better serve farmers across our 14-state marketing area.”
Beck’s serves farmers throughout the Midwest and Mid-South.
