In mid-April, Kansas Dairy Ingredients announced its plans to build a dairy ingredient and cheese plant in Hugoton, Kansas.

The company will start construction on the facility in May and begin Phase I operation in the fourth quarter of this year. The facility will be positioned to expand in 2013 to add cheese production.

Kansas Dairy Ingredients will invest $20 million plus over the next 18 months in Hugoton.

When the facility first opens, Kansas Dairy Ingredients plans to begin processing approximately 1 million pounds of milk per day to produce fractionated dairy ingredients.The company anticipates processing up to 2.5 million pounds of milk per day by the end of 2013.

The company plans to build additional capacity to produce cheese and other dry milk ingredients. Kansas Dairy Ingredients expects to bring 60 jobs to the area in its first two years.

It also expects to create about 150 temporary construction-related jobs.

State and local officials welcomed the news of the company’s arrival in Hugoton.

Stevens County Economic Development Director Neal Gillespie said, “We have long believed that the dairy industry is a perfect fit for western Kansas. A processing plant will be a catalyst for the continued growth of this industry that is so beneficial to our local economies.”

Gov. Sam Brownback said, “This project will create good-paying jobs for Stevens County and has the potential to spur significant, additional job creation in the future.”

Kansas Dairy Ingredients, currently based in Missouri, will locate its business operations offices in Kansas City, Kansas, and at the Hugoton site.  PD

—From Kansas Department of Commerce news release