Wayne-Sanderson Farms, an industry leader and the nation’s third-largest poultry producer, has officially begun the construction of a new state-of-the-art feed mill at the company’s Danville Fresh Processing Complex. According to certain reports, the stated mill is envisioned to serve more than 125 family farm partners in the region, helping them access a comprehensive set of nutrition solutions. Bearing a cost projection worth $43 million, the facility will be located on 21 acres of space, adjacent to the already operational main processing plan. Talk about its capacity, the new facility should be able to produce more than 8,500 tons of feed weekly. To break down that number, it will leverage twin pellet mills to produce feed at 45 tons per hour, and as for mixing and batching the output, the production rate is expected to be somewhere around 160 tons per hour. This is further joined by a 10 minute load time for outbound feed trucks. Going back to the produced feed, though, Wayne-Sanderson’s new facility will look to mix several different feed formulations using corn, soybean meal, minerals, and vitamins to meet a full range of dietary requirements, right from baby chick feed to broiler, pullet, and hen formulas. In practice, it is going to use two dedicated receiving systems to unload 26,500 bushels of corn or soy grain per hour. Among other details, we must mention how the new mill will also enjoy at its disposal an expanded storage of ingredients, finished feed, whole grains, liquids, and warehouse space for stored inventory. Beyond the means to augment operations, the facility also makes a point to guard your operations against any unforeseen events. This it does through emergency generators, mill automation, and lighting/HVAC systems, thus leaving no stone unturned to ensure continuity of operations when up against severe weather events and potential power outages.
“Farming and poultry are the economic drivers here,” said Toby Tapp, manager at Wayne-Sanderson’s Danville Complex and long-time local resident. “Poultry is big business in Yell County and across the region. We just took the mayor, city administrator, county judge and other officials on a tour of the construction site and we’re getting lots of support—the entire community is excited to see construction begin.”
Founded in 2022, Wayne-Sanderson has risen up on back of a diverse product portfolio, a strong operating culture, and an industry-leading workforce of more than 26,000 people. Serving retail, foodservice, restaurant, industrial, and institutional segments, the company currently has its business spread across multiple brands in SANDERSON FARMS® fresh chicken; COVINGTON FARMS® fresh and frozen chicken; WAYNE FARMS® fresh and prepared chicken; PLATINUM HARVEST® premium fresh chicken; CHEF’S CRAFT® gourmet chicken; and NAKED TRUTH® premium chicken. To help all these brands sustain an optimal level of performance, Wayne-Sanderson has also set-up a total of 23 fresh and further-processing facilities across Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Texas.