River Valley Cooperative to build fifth feed mill

After several years of planning and debate, River Valley Cooperative has launched construction of a  $5.5 million feed mill in tiny town of Sunbury, Iowa, USA, where it already had a presence since it acquired the former Farmer’s Grain and Lumber.

 

River Valley, headquartered in Davenport, currently produces feed at four mills Iowa and Illinois. Regional manager Chad Petersen said the Sunbury facility will allow River Valley to consolidate some of its outdated facilities and provide for more efficiencies and higher capacities.

 

With the new feed mill design, River Valley will be able to manufacture 60 tons of feed per hour. Annually, it will produce more than 225,000 tons and will have the capability of more than 340,000 tons.

 

The new operation will employ four full-time production employees and as many as 15 feed delivery employees. Initially, the plant will run two eight-hour shifts. At full capacity, a third shift would be added.

 

The co-op estimates an average of 40 semi-loads of complete feed will be manufactured and delivered daily to its members.

 

The process also will use about 6.7 million bushels (1.7m metric tonnes) of corn annually initially — from its members — and up to 8.5 million bushels (2.15m t) at full capacity.