It's been questioned whether an announced soybean processing plant near Jamestown, North Dakota might hurt the chances of a facility being built here in Manitoba.

Minnesota Soybean Processors recently announced it would be constructing a $240 million facility.

Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers (MPSG) Executive Director Francois Labelle thinks there would be enough beans to support both facilities.

"Anybody that will do a feasibility study in Manitoba will be looking the availability of beans in Manitoba as well as North Dakota, so this could affect some of the beans from North Dakota that we may be able to track to Manitoba,” he said. “It's still a long ways away, it's about 175 miles south of the border, so it's still quite a distance away. North Dakota also produces a lot of soybeans, so there's definitely room for that facility and we feel there's still room for a facility in Canada here."

Nothing firm has been established yet for a plan to build a soybean processing plant in Manitoba, however discussions are ongoing.

Labelle says while some soybeans are shipped south of the border, the largest portion of Manitoba beans are being exported to China.