VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The Grand Opening of the Columbia Grain Pulse Processing Plant west of Valley City was held Wednesday, April 1st.
The facility has the capacity to process 40,000 tons of pulse crops per year, including dry edible beans, peas and lentils, providing a local market for North Dakota farmer’s while supporting the state’s mission of building more value added agriculture facilities across the state.
Kurt Haarmann is the President and CEO of Columbia Grain.
Barnes County Commissioner and farmer Pete Paulson said this investment by Columbia Grain will have a lasting impact for local farm economy.
North Dakota U.S. Senator John Hoeven talked about the importance of this facility.
Hoeven also talked about how this facility and others across the state blend together to enhance our agriculture economy across the state.
The 11,000 sq. ft. facility has the capacity to process 40,000 tons of pulse crops per year, including dry edible beans, peas and lentils. Hoeven stressed that value-added investments like this new facility reinforce the state’s role as a leader in pulse production. North Dakota is the nation’s top producer of dry edible beans, with the state’s farmers having grown 423,247 metric tons of this commodity in 2025, while being a leading producer of dry peas and lentils as well.
Hoeven is also working to secure President Trump’s support for the effort, with the president last week calling for the farm aid to be passed as part of a future funding package.
Hoeven is working with Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) to: Expand the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) to cover a greater share of producer losses. Include acres that were prevented from being planted as eligible under FBA. Expand support for specialty crops and sugar producers. Increase farm ownership and operating loan limits. Hoeven stressed that this additional assistance would help ease financial struggles in farm country until the enhancements to crop insurance and ARC/PLC that he worked to secure in the One Big Beautiful Bill passed into law by President Donald J. Trump.
North Dakota Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak talked about how this facility will have a positive impact on Valley City’s local economy.
The Valley City edible bean processing facility represents an important investment in Columbia Grain’s processing network and their commitment to long-term growth. The Valley City is an SQF certified and committed to producing safe, high-quality food products.
