Leaders cut ribbon on North America’s largest wheat protein plant

Massive change is coming to the north edge of Phillipsburg, Kan.

The former Prairie Horizon Agri-Energy corn-based ethanol plant is getting retrofitted and upgraded to become Amber Wave. Once finished, this $350 million project will be North America’s largest wheat protein plant, and it has the potential to change the future markets for wheat farmers in a 100-mile radius.

Dignitaries gathered Aug. 9 at Amber Wave to cut the ribbon on the plant, including Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly; Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan.; and Bruce Rastetter, founder and CEO of Summit Agricultural Group. Summit is Amber Wave’s parent organization.

Site selection

Rastetter took his Iowa farm-kid knowledge and made a career in the global agriculture and energy sectors. According to company literature, “Summit Agricultural Group is an agriculture and renewable energy business with farmland holdings across North and South America. The company supports capital investments with strategic private equity partnerships and manages agricultural assets, including extensive beef, pork and grain production facilities.”

Jennifer M. Latzke

Bruce Rastetter, founder and CEO of Summit Agricultural Group, which is Amber Wave’s parent organization, told the crowd gathered for the ribbon cutting that Summit evaluated several different sites in other wheat-growing areas for the Amber Wave facility. Summit settled on the Prairie Horizon site at Phillipsburg because of its ideal location in hard red winter wheat country, and the company plans to source all of its wheat from a 100-mile radius of the plant. The plant will produce not only wheat protein for use in baked goods, pet food and other growing markets, but will also convert the starch from the process into ethanol and the remaining wheat midds will be marketed to area feedyards.

Rastetter said it took six years of researching sites from Montana to the Columbia River Basin in Washington before they settled on Phillipsburg.

“It shouldn’t have taken us this long to figure out Kansas is the location,” he said with a grin. Instead of shipping unit trains of Kansas wheat to the Gulf and buyers overseas, Amber Wave is planning to create a market for that wheat in Phillipsburg, he added.

Wheat protein

“Today, 80% of vital wheat gluten is imported into the U.S.,” he said. That vital wheat gluten is used in baking, pet food and the growing aquaculture industries. Amber Wave plans to work with farmers to improve the protein in wheat they grow, to provide a local market that adds value to their commodity.

Jennifer M. Latzke

Senator Jerry Moran, R-Kan., says this is an opportunity for Kansas farmers and the town of Phillipsburg to create a new market for the abundant wheat in the region. “We can grow wheat, but we need a market and an opportunity to enhance its value rather than shipping it someplace else,” Moran said. He added that 7% to 10% of all the wheat grown in Kansas today will be processed at this plant, which can help increase the price of wheat and create another market for wheat farmers.

Steve Adams, Amber Wave’s COO, spoke at the Wheat Rx meeting earlier in the day and told farmers that the facility will use 20 million bushels of wheat a year, sourced within 100 miles of the plant. And it will produce about 109 million pounds of vital wheat gluten, or wheat protein. The plant will first mill the wheat into flour, which will then be further processed to capture the gluten.

Amber Wave is retrofitting the existing Prairie Horizon Agri-Energy corn-based ethanol plant to produce ethanol from the water and starch left from the gluten process. Adams said the company expect to produce about 52 million gallons of ethanol from wheat a year, using the latest technology in wheat milling and protein extraction that will create a much lower carbon footprint than todays’ traditional ethanol plants.

Even the wheat midds left at the end of the process will have a market in the nearby cattle feedlots.

Courtesy of Kansas Governor’s Office

Dignitaries including Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly; Bruce Rastetter, CEO of Summit Agricultural Group; and Sen. Jerry Moran R-Kan., cut the ribbon at Amber Wave in Phillipsburg. The plant is still under construction, but should be able to take deliveries of wheat starting in the spring or summer of 2023.

Adams told farmers Amber Wave expects to be taking wheat by July 2023.

Kansas welcome

“Kansas is known for its high-quality wheat, and this cutting-edge facility will strengthen the competitive edge we have in the market,” Kelly said. “Now, Kansas wheat farming families will have a massive direct buyer close to home, and major food, baking and pet food companies are able to have their wheat needs met here in Phillipsburg.”

Moran said this is an opportunity for Kansas farmers and the community of Phillipsburg to create a new market for the abundant wheat in the region. “We can grow wheat, but we need a market and an opportunity to enhance its value rather than shipping it someplace else.” He added that 7% to 10% of all the wheat grown in Kansas today will be processed at this plant, which can help increase the price of wheat and create another market for wheat farmers.

The Kansas Governor’s Office contributed to this article.

Amber Wave plant in Phillipsburg, Kan., will use 20 million bushels of wheat per year.

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