Food and feed manufacturer The Scoular Company announced Tuesday that it picked Jerome, ID as the location of a facility that will manufacture a barley-based protein product.

The company is erecting a 15,000-sq-ft plant on a 4-acre site near its existing livestock feed ingredients facility in Jerome. Barley protein concentrate produced at the new facility will be used in aquaculture feed and pet food. Scoular will also produce a high-energy liquid feed supplement for cattle at the plant.

Jerome was selected because of its location near grain producer customers and manufacturers of end products, JC Olson, product group manager for Scoular said in a release. Once operational, the facility will have a processing capacity of 1.9 million bu/yr.

“We look forward to making this investment in both Jerome and the state of Idaho,” Olson said. “This facility and innovative barley product will create a new market and greater stability for farmers in the Magic Valley region and throughout Idaho.”

The site is expected to become operational in May 2021. 13 new jobs will be created as a result of the project.

Powder & Bulk Solids reported in June that Scoular entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Montana Microbial Products to manufacture and sell barley protein concentrate. Scoular said at the time that it was investing $13 million to open the new plant.

The company established a pet food ingredient subsidiary, Petsource by Scoular, last December, Powder & Bulk Solids reported. The business develops, freeze-dries, and packages high-protein pet food ingredients.