Day 8: Wayne Sanderson Farms

(Part 2: The Feed Mill)

Written by: Ariel

During our visit to the Wayne Sanderson Farms feed mill, I learned how much work goes into making chicken feed every day. The feed mill was built about a year ago after taking the other one down due to being about 50 years old, and runs 24 hours a day. They produce around 50 loads of feed every day. Each load weighs about 15 to 16 tons, and about 50 trucks come through the mill daily to deliver or pick up feed.

The feed mill is very automated and uses a computerized system to help everything run smoothly. There are only about 18 employees because most of the work is done by machines. The mill makes both pelleted and non-pelleted feed for different types of poultry, including broilers and breeders. I also learned that one breeder house can produce around 40 broilers, which shows how important good-quality feed is.

One of the most interesting facts was how fast the mill works. It can produce about 14,000 bushels of feed every hour if it runs continuously. The feed is made from many different ingredients, including corn, which is ground before being mixed together. Every week, the mill sends samples of its feed to be tested to make sure it meets quality standards. Overall, the tour showed me how advanced and efficient modern feed mills are and how important they are to the agriculture industry.

Some of us had the opportunity to ride to the top of the grain elevator.