World Grain - March 2019 - 48

FEATURE: IPPE ATTRACTS RECORD TURNOUT

John Stewart, manager of government affairs for the AFIA,
discusses how Trump administration policies have affected the U.S.
feed industry. Photo by Arvin Donley.

the award along with John Beste, president, and Kurt
Marthaler, plant manager.
Tom Beste said the honor was mainly due to the dedicated employees of the family-owned company.
"I'd like to thank all the people in the company that
made this possible," Tom Beste said. "Whether they
have been with us 20 or 30 years or are new employees
who have come in and got on board with FSMA and
things like that, this reward really is for the people in
the plant, the employees of the company. I am really
grateful to all of them."
Famo Feeds produces dry feed and has served livestock producers in the Midwest since 1903. It is an
animal nutrition business that manufactures and markets a full-line of livestock and poultry feeds. Serving
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a customer base in the Upper Midwest, the company
is focused on the dairy and beef sectors but also offers
feed products for horses, gamebirds, chicks, rabbits
and more.
Tom Beste said the staff takes pride in the quality of
its products and programs, the strength of its team and
the collective impact they make in the industry.
In the last few years, Famo Feeds has made numerous improvements and upgrades to the plant, including
adding a new automation system, rebuilding a pellet
mill and mixer and upgrading a boiler. The new Repete
FLX automation system has allowed Famo Feeds to increase its production efficiency while at the same time,
improving its working environment.
Tom Beste said the company has seen almost a 10%
improvement in capacity while making individuals'
jobs easier.
"Every day we build upon Famo Feed's commitment
to creating quality nutritional solutions for livestock
and poultry," Tom Beste said.
It marked the first time that the annual award, which
is co-sponsored by AFIA and Feedstuffs, has been
presented to a family-owned company, said Gary
Huddleston, director of feed manufacturing and regulatory affairs for the AFIA.
The award recognizes overall excellence in feed
manufacturing operations, emphasizes the company's
commitment to safety, quality, regulatory compliance
and employee development and highlights its overall
operating efficiencies.
Formerly the Feed Mill of the Year Award, the AFIA
and Feedstuffs modified the program in 2016, and it is
now recognized as a first-class benchmarking program
for the animal food industry. Representing each of the
several types of feed manufacturing facilities within
AFIA's membership, the format compares and recognizes top-performing facilities in four categories: commercial dry livestock, integrator, liquid feed and premix. From those, the Feed Facility of the Year award
is selected.
The AFIA recognized the category winners earlier
this month and honored them with plaques at the Feed
Education Program.
In addition to Famo Feeds, which won the commercial dry livestock feed plant category, the other winners were:
* Koch Foods, Morton, Mississippi, U.S., in the integrator category
* Quality Liquid Feeds, Clovis, New Mexico, U.S.,
in the liquid feed plant category
* Trouw Nutrition, Highland, Illinois, U.S., in the
premix manufacturing plant category.
March 2019 / World Grain / www.World-Grain.com

3/6/2019 12:31:08 PM

http://www.World-Grain.com

World Grain - March 2019

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