Canola plant coming to Enid

Pending regulatory approval and commitment of debt financing, construction is expected to begin a year from now, with completion in time for the June 2015 canola harvest.

The investment will create an annual payroll of $3.75 million, including about 55 handler, trucker and sales jobs, said Brent Kisling, executive director of the Enid Regional Development Alliance. But the bigger impact is the opportunity the refinery will present for regional Oklahoma farmers, he said.

“Winter canola production is a game-changer for Oklahoma agriculture,” Kisling said. Research shows farmers who plant two years of winter wheat followed by a year of Canola can increase their wheat yields by 15 percent to 20 percent, he said. And by using herbicides on the canola, he said, they can clean up weed problems.

“The plant will provide farmers with a much-needed local market to support continued acreage growth,” Kisling said. The closest current refineries are Bricktown Producers Cooperative Oil Mill in Bricktown and a refinery in central Kansas, he said

Meanwhile, consumption of canola — which is used not only to produce canola oil, but also canola meal for livestock including hog and poultry farms in Oklahoma — is rising at double-digit rates, said Neil Juhnke, Northstar president and chief operating officer. America, he said, relies on Canadian imports as annual consumption here currently equals the equivalent of 6 million acres, while annual production represents only 1.5 million acres.