Iowa to get new swine targeted feed mill
The US$20m facility will be located at the existing Landus grain facility located in Hamlin, Iowa. It is set to employ 21 people.
Through this collaborative effort, AMVC, which has a swine management presence across 10 US states and manages 150,000 sows across 41 farms, will own and operate the feed mill.
Landus will be responsible for originating grain for the project through its network of local farmer-owners. The construction project is expected to be finalized by summer 2024.
Such a partnership approach allows each entity to focus on its, said Landus. “This improved model gives AMVC better control of their long-term biosecurity and traceability requirements, while Landus can focus on sourcing and delivering quality grain from our farmer-owners,” said Matt Carstens, CEO of Landus.
“Landus will provide AMVC the expertise to source and deliver grain from local farmers, allowing us to better leverage our strengths of professionally raising and feeding pigs. The establishment of this feed mill will maintain and increase long-term agriculture value for crop producers and pork producer stakeholders. This partnership also adds to the overall economic growth of the community by creating short and long-term employment opportunities,” said Dr Steve Schmitz, veterinarian and managing partner at AMVC.
Corn, soybean meal requirements
The mill, said the partners, will require around 8.5 million bushels of corn, and 48,000 tons of soybean meal annually. Corn demand will exceed capacity of the existing Landus grain storage in Hamlin, but the cooperative can leverage its nearby grain assets, including a site in Panora, Iowa, which was recently acquired through an asset swap with Heartland Co-op, to supply corn to the new mill.
Once fully operational, the facility will employ up to eight full-time personnel and generate demand for an additional 14 local truck drivers.
