Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and U.S. Senator Jerry Moran took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday for a state-of-the-art wheat protein plant that will be the largest wheat protein producer in North America.
Amber Wave is investing more than $250 million in the plant in Phillipsburg in northwest Kansas, and the company plans to create more than 60 new jobs as it moves toward full capacity.
Governor Kelly said in a press release that Kansas wheat farming families will have a massive direct buyer close to home, and major food, baking and pet food companies will be able to have their wheat needs met with this new facility. The location of the plant puts it in the heart of the country with rail access to both coasts.
In addition to building a wheat mill and a vital wheat gluten plant, the company retrofitted the existing Prairie Horizon Agri-Energy corn-based ethanol plant to produce ethanol from wheat starch. The plant will use new technology to create a significantly lower carbon footprint than traditional corn ethanol plants.
