December 12, 2005

Cargill opens new feed mill in the US

Cargill Animal Nutrition has opened a new 140,000-tonne feed manufacturing facility in US state Louisiana, the company announced on Dec 8.

The new mill, which took nine months to construct, will produce feed such as for the aquaculture, beef, poultry and dairy industries and has a staff strength of 38 production, sales and administrative personnel.

The facility will have two separate extruders that the production of pet food and specialty aquafeeds simultaneously. It also provides new capabilities such as cattle cube production and steam-flake processing, which will help enhance the digestibility and performance of its corn- and oat-feed products.

The facility has a 4,770-sq-metre of warehouse space, while its 70-metre tall tower has 65 bins for grain, bulk ingredients and finished feed.

The facility also has six large storage bins outside of the tower and five large bins specifically for catfish feed storage and loading. The mill is capable of producing both bag and bulk textured feeds as well as pellets and crumbles of various sizes.

The new feed mill is expected to speed up the unloading times for Cargill's suppliers and the turn-around times for its customers, said the company's animal nutrition department manager Chuck Nault.