The Rural Voice, 1996-04, Page 32FILLI\ G A PRESSI\G \EED
The Underwood family are turning a
raw product of western Ontario farms
into a new business
BY BONNIE GROPP
Taking new technology and
making it work on a
community-based scale: such is
the force behind Sunfield
Oilseeds, a division of George
Underwood Elevators, located at RR
1, Wingham, which went into
operation last November.
It might be said the expansion was
part inspiration, part innovation, part
desperation. George Underwood,
with sons Nelson and John, has been
in the commercial elevator business,
buying and selling grains from local
farmers since 1976. Since that time,
they have seen drastic changes in the
business of agriculture. George's
son, John, recalls that during his
university years in the 1970s, farmers
were becoming interested in the
growing of soybeans in this area,
primarily for economic reasons, and
professors began planting the idea in
the heads of their students.
At that time, there were three
major soybean crushers or
processors. The plant owned by
Archer, Daniels, Midland (ADM) in
28 THE RURAL VOICE
Windsor, processes
about 2,000 tonne per day. ADM's
North American operations process
70,000 tons. There was also Victory
Soya Mills in Toronto, owned by
Central Soya and CVOP (Canadian
Vegetable Oil Processors) in
Hamilton, owned by Canada Packers.
Through the decade, John says,
soybean acreage grew from 300,000
provincially to approximately one
million. "It has actually usurped com
acreage in Ontario."
Then in 1991 Central Soya closed
Victory after purchasing CVOP.
They grouped all their Canadian
operations and were now known as
Canamera Foods. This was a concern
to the Underwoods as they had
already experienced difficulty
shipping to Toronto and Hamilton
crushers because northern Huron is at
the tail end of the harvest, which
meant long Zine -ups and delays.
Windsor was a last resort simply
because of geography, which meant
higher freight costs. "We began to
wonder how just having the two
Employee Steve Whale (above right)
prepares to put ground -up soybeans
through the extruder. The
Underwoods are working to recover
enzymes from soybean shells
(above left).
plants might exacerbate the situation
for us," says John.
The Underwoods looked at
options that ranged from not handling
soybeans at all to handling edible
beans, including white hilim and the
natto type. Then they heard about a
system, created by the University of
Iowa for the processing of an edible
oil. "We touredthe plant and thought
there was a place for this type of
technology in Ontario."
According to John, there are
about seven major oil seeds
grown worldwide; soybeans
are the biggest and most
widely uscd crop. They have 20 per
cent oil in their natural state.
The extraction of oil from the
soybean has been dont by two main
systems. There is a mechanical
screw press, which is the process