OCHEYEDAN, Iowa - Cooperative Farmers Elevator in Ocheyedan has announced it will begin construction of a new feed mill next spring, a direct response to the rapidly growing livestock industry in northwest Iowa and increased milling capacity needs.
“This new mill will help us capitalize on two unique opportunities and effectively position CFE and our farmer-owners for the future,” said Rob Jacobs, chief executive officer of CFE.
The 160-foot concrete slipped mill will produce 3,000 tons of complete feed per day, totaling 780,000 tons of complete feed per year, to serve increasing demands from the livestock industry.
Construction is set to begin in early spring, with feed production slated to begin in late summer 2018 pending any construction delays.
Once complete, the new feed mill will employ up to 28 people in Ocheyedan, Jacobs said.
“Our board of directors sees this as a positive opportunity to continue our focus on growth and to reinvest in our cooperative for the long-term benefit of our farmer-owners,” Jacobs said.
Growing livestock sector
The livestock market in northwest Iowa has grown rapidly in recent years. That growth has been driven in large part by processors.
The new feed mill will process up to 70,000 bushels of corn daily. This demand will provide an alternative for local producers to sell their grain back to the farmer-owned cooperative instead of other sources outside of the area.
“The expansion will not only allow CFE to keep pace with the growth of the local livestock market, but it will also give more of our producer-owners a chance to sell their grain back to CFE, which, in turn, will increase their options and potentially their profitability,” Jacobs said. “In that sense, this is truly a win-win for CFE and our member-owners.”
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Adapting to new regulations
Beyond keeping pace with a growing livestock market, the new feed mill also supports CFE’s commitment to compliance. The new facility will provide a ractopamine-free production process to producers who partner with local livestock producers and integrators who require ractopamine-free feed products for livestock. That process will guarantee that producers receive quality feed mixes and meet growing demand.
“We’re completely committed to supporting our member-owners as our local livestock market changes,” Jacobs said. “Their success is our success, and this feed mill is just one of the many ways we will continue to show our commitment to their operations’ success.”
CFE is a farmer-owned cooperative serving local farm and rural business owners in the areas of agronomy, feed, grain, energy and lumber. CFE has locations in communities throughout northwest Iowa, southwest Minnesota and southeast South Dakota. The cooperative has more than 300 team members.
