A new Lincoln Supply, LC, feed mill in Ellsworth will be the largest producer of feed in the Midwest once it is fully operational, according to a release from the company.
The feed mill features 120-tonnes-per-hour ingredient receiving; a 60-tonnes-per-hour grinding system through three roller mills in a separate grinder room; 14 ingredient bins with 962 tonnes of storage; a 4-tonnes batching and mixing system, including one 24-bin micro system; and metered liquids to the mixer. The pellet mills are housed at the work floor of the main mill tower.
Two 7932 pellet mills discharge to one counterflow cooler. The fats coating system utilises a surge hopper with continuous levelling sensor, dry flow meter, micro motion meter, and roto-coater. Load-out utilises a single driveway with an automated 3 1/2-tonne weigh lorry system. This feed mill has a total finished feed capacity of approximately 420 tonnes.
Additional features to the feed mill include a tank farm for six liquids, one 25 hp air compressor, and one 300 hp natural gas boiler. One 500-pound manlift is used for vertical access from the ground floor to the roof.
One of the first stops on the tour was the truck load-out area. He said that the facility includes a storage area for about 1,000 tonnes of finished feed for turkeys and pigs. That doesn't include ingredients for the feed, which has storage space for 2,000 tonnes. When the facility is fully operational, which Pittman said is expected in January, it will be dispensing about 120 truckloads of feed every day.
According to a release from Ag Partners, LLC, who formed Lincoln Supply in 1998 as a joint venture with several area turkey producers, the new feed mill will potentially pellet nearly 1 million tonnes of feed annually. The expansion will also create up to 10 additional jobs as the mill hits peak capacity.
The tour also included areas for computers which will automate feed dispersal as well as areas where feed is heated and cooled. Pittman said the pelleted feed is similar to a vitamin with many nutrients packed into each capsule. The result is more cost-effective for livestock producers than mashed feed, he said.
"It pays for them to pellet," Pittman said.
Northey said the expansion is a great investment. He said the plant will use Iowa corn and soybeans to feed hogs and turkeys in Iowa and around the world.
"The efficiencies that were built into this plant, including using the pellets to feed animals which adds efficiency as well, makes it more efficient for livestock operations to be able to get what they want," Northey said. "I think it has to make you optimistic about the livestock industry here in Iowa."
The facility is located at 3364 Vail Avenue in Ellsworth.
