World Grain - December 2017 - 46

FQ

FEED QUARTERLY

'IT'S ABOUT TIME'
A

t any one time, approximately 23 million pigs are being
raised in Iowa, the United States' No. 1 hog producer.
The state also has more than 60 million poultry, mostly
laying hens, and it is the top corn producer in the United States,
accounting for nearly 20% of the nation's output, harvesting
nearly 3 billion bushels per year.
So when Iowa State University (ISU) in Ames, Iowa, recently announced plans to build a $21 million educational and
research complex for feed milling and grain science, those with
a vested interest in the facility said it was an endeavor that had
been long overdue.
"We're in the middle of the bullseye of the grain and feed
industries," Dirk Maier, professor and post-harvest engineer at
ISU, told World Grain. "Everybody who I've talked to about
this project says it's about time. They are building some of the
largest feed mills in the country here. Iowa has doubled feed
production and consumption capacity in the last 10 years. It's
really unbelievable."
The project, which is being funded entirely by the private
sector, already has received $14 million from three Iowabased companies and organizations - $8 million from Kent
Corporation, $4 million from the Iowa Corn Promotion
Board, and $2 million from Sukup Manufacturing Co. Kent
Corporation, which is one of the largest feed producers in the
country, said it was the largest gift the company has made.
"As an Iowa-based, global leader in corn wet milling, the
production of animal feeds and the manufacturing of food products, it is critical that we support Iowa State in giving students
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employers and industries," the company said. "Our experience
with Iowa State's commitment to the Cultivation Corridor and
their mission to promote and facilitate growth in agriculture and
biosciences helped facilitate this gift."
Sukup, one of the world's largest family-owned and operated
grain storage, drying and handling equipment manufacturers,
said the facility at Iowa State would
support the company's mission "to protect and preserve the grain that feeds the
world."
"Key factors to our success as a
company have been innovative ideas
and our dedicated workforce," said
Charles Sukup, president of Sukup
Manufacturing. "That's why we are exMaier
cited that Iowa State's plans for the feed
46

by Arvin Donley

Iowa State professor says planned
feed milling and grain science
complex is long overdue
mill and grain science complex will focus on innovation and
support of the grain and feed industries, education of the next
generation and continuing education that helps our workforce
and customers keep up to speed on the latest developments."
Likewise, the Iowa Corn Promotion Board sees its contribution toward the building of the complex as being a smart investment in the long run.
"To remain viable and competitive in the future, the grain,
feed and livestock industries must continue to improve producWLRQDQGHI¿FLHQF\DQGWKLVPHDQVKDYLQJTXDOL¿HGSURIHVVLRQ
als moving into this important agricultural sector," said Duane
Aistrope, president of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board. "In addition, Iowa State's feed mill and grain science complex will
allow us to help with the Iowa Corn Promotion Board's market
development activities by serving as a great resource to educate
our visiting international trade team on how to best utilize U.S.
corn and corn products."
COMPLEX DETAILS
The location of the feed mill and grain complex will be on 10
acres of university-owned land southwest of Ames. The land,
managed by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, has
been the site of crop research, seed operations and crop yield
performance trials for more than 50 years.
The complex will include a concrete feed mill tower and feed
milling and mixing structures, grain storage bins and a one-story classroom and laboratory building.
Maier said the feed mill will include one or two milling lines
with a capacity of 5 or 10 tonnes per hour, and a research line
with a capacity of approximately 1 tonne per hour. He said Iowa
State students will use the complex to perform research and
prepare animal feeds to meet the dietary requirements for livestock housed at several university teaching and research farms
in the Ames area. University faculty will use it as a source for
custom-made animal feeds for academic studies. Researchers
also will use the complex to study feed safety and biosecurity
December 2017 / World Grain / www.World-Grain.com
http://www.World-Grain.com
World Grain - December 2017

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