The Carmi Kiwanis Club met January 9, 2020. Club President Eric Rahlfs brought the meeting to order. Phil Stocke was the big winner of the 50/50 drawing. Caitlin Keepes introduced the guest speaker of the day, Jason Shaw with Consolidated Grain and Barge.
Consolidated Grain and Barge (CGB) was established in 1970. Their primary business is grain origination, transportation, and logistics. They are privately held by two global companies from Japan, Zen-noh and Itochu. With more than 2,500 employees, they provide an array of services for grain farmers and beyond.
Jason briefly explained the multiple divisions of CGB and their locations throughout the US. Their Grain Division is their largest, employing 1,500 people at 106 facilities including 38 river terminals. One of those river terminals is the CGB Soybean Processing Plant in Mt. Vernon, IN. The Soybean Processing Plant operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The plant buys 40 million bushels of soybeans a year which translates into processing 2,000 acres of soybeans every day.
The Mt. Vernon, IN plant currently employs 100 people and is located at the Port of Indiana. Jason, who is a merchandiser at the plant, explained the process used to create their products. He passed around product samples including soybean meal, soybean oil, and soyhull pellets. Most of their products stay in the US and are used by bio-fuel producers and food manufacturers. Soybean oil is the most valuable product they produce.
Jason entertained an array of questions. The club thanked him for an interesting program as President Eric Rahlfs dismissed the club.
