Gary Huddleston, director of feed manufacturing and regulatory affairs, the American Feed Industry Association commented:
“Sanderson Farms’ Collins facility demonstrates excellence in all of the FFY scoring areas – safety, quality control and food safety, government compliance, housekeeping and facility appearance, productivity and efficiency, sustainability, employee development and community and customer relations.”
It was noted that the plant is also designed to meet changing demands and needs.
The facility, which produces more than 400,000 tons of poultry feed each year, also won the same award in 2018.
The application phase for the 2022 AFIA Liquid Feed Facility of the Year is now open and submissions, with the $100 application fee, are due by May 13. The winning facility will be recognized this fall at the AFIA Liquid Feed Symposium (LFS) in New Orleans, said the organization.
Belstra Milling’s plant in DeMotte, Indiana was awarded the gong, earlier this month, for the 2021 premix/ingredient premix feed facility of the year by the AFIA.
A family- and employee-owned company that manufactures feeds for a variety of operations and species, Belstra has a team of 12 employees. It manufactures 80,000 tons of feed premixes annually.
The AFIA said a key element that helped Belstra stand out among the competition is that its manufacturing area boasts a HVAC system that supports tough-to-handle ingredients.
In January this year, the organization revealed the winner of its commercial dry feed facility of the year. That was Kent Nutrition Group’s (KNG) feed plant in Mason, Michigan.
“With low staff turnover and great teamwork, this facility has made improvements that have led to greater production efficiency and safety of its products,” said Huddleston
The AFIA 2021 Liquid Feed Facility of the Year (FFY) award winner was PeforMix Nutrition Systems plant in Rupert, Idaho. That manufacturing site generates approximately 56,000 tons of feed annually, primarily for beef and dairy cattle.
“PerforMix’s years of experience manufacturing liquid feed has produced experienced and engaged employees and an excellent plant design,” said Huddleston in September last year. “Their state-of-the-art mixing system, fully automated facility is designed for superior quality and growth and has allowed the facility to achieve a 12-14% annual growth rate.”