OCHEYEDAN, Iowa - A towering new Cooperative Farmers Elevator (CFE) feed mill is on track to provide tri-state producers with more feed by October or November 2018.
Construction began this spring and the slip, which provides the foundation of the structure, was completed in the early morning on Thanksgiving. Now, workers from Younglove Construction LLC of Sioux City, Iowa, will work through the winter and eventually add on the main warehouse and receiving area.
The $22 million feed mill will reach 168 feet at its highest point. Once in operation, it will produce 3,000 tons of feed every day and 780,000 tons per year - about four times the output of the existing feed mill, said Mike Lund, CFE feed operations manager.
The new feed mill will create about 19 new jobs and replace the existing Ocheyedan feed mill.
“It’s done a good job for us, but it’s seen its better days,” Lund said of the old mill, located next to its successor.
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The new facility, which can process 70,000 bushels of corn daily, is being built to keep up with increasing demand for feed as the livestock market continues to grow. Advancing CFE’s progressive model, the mill will offer a ractopamine-free production process for organic producers.
“It’s going to be big for the producers in the area,” Lund said.
