Feeding the Community: The Future Impact of Hamlin’s New Feed Mill

Iowa’s largest farmer-owned cooperative, Landus Cooperative, teamed up with AMVC in 2022 to build a brand new feed mill in Hamlin. Since agreeing on the partnership, both teams have made significant progress toward reaching their common goal. Trey Kellner, Ph.D. from AMVC provided updates on this massive project in Hamlin.

How AMVC is Helping Grow Iowa’s Newest Feedmill

Trey Kellner serves as the Managing Partner and Swine Nutritionist for AMVC Nutritional Services. He grew up in rural Kansas where his father managed a cooperative feed mill. His exposure to the industry sparked his interest in animal nutrition from a young age. Kellner spent much of his childhood observing how his father’s work in the feed mill directly correlated to the nutritionist’s work formulating each animal’s diet, learning that nutritionists were critical to helping the producer optimize their return. Kellner continued to expand his knowledge of the animal nutrition industry and later decided to focus on swine nutrition, graduating with his Ph.D. from Iowa State. Shortly after, he was hired as AMVC’s first Swine Nutritionist. As the first in his role, he was able to start making an impact right away.

Until recently, his role was largely focused on nutrition, but with this new partnership with Landus, Kellner has a new set of responsibilities - overseeing the business aspects of the Hamlin Feed Mill and the transfer of corn between Landus and the Hamlin Feed Mill. He ensures the partnership is as additive and synergistic as possible for both teams.

“Landus and AMVC share a common mission in which we want to make agriculture accessible, transparent, sustainable, and economical,” said Kellner. “Landus identified AMVC as a partner that could help provide a new market for corn and soybeans grown in Audubon County and how it could help lower the cost of producing a market pig to AMVC and our valued pork producers.”

The massive new feed mill is set to produce up to 400,000 tons of swine feed each year, requiring about 8.5 million bushels of corn and 48,000 tons of soybean meal annually. With the demand for corn surpassing the capacity of the current Landus grain storage in Hamlin, Landus plans to tap into its nearby grain assets, including a site in Panora, Iowa, acquired recently through an asset swap with Heartland Co-op, to supply corn to the new mill.

Once fully up and running, the mill will employ up to eight full-time staff and create demand for an extra 14 local truck drivers. AMVC aims to have the project wrapped up by Summer 2024, with more updates to come as it progresses.

Serving the Community through Quality Nutrition

Being a swine nutritionist requires having a deep sense of the impact on one’s community. The feed being produced by AMVC through the local corn sourced by Landus feeds local livestock, which is consumed by residents locally and nationally.

Recognizing his impact, Kellner mentioned that the most rewarding part of being a Swine Nutritionist is understanding the way his work impacts the local community. “The best part is knowing you have a direct impact on the health and well-being of the animals we’re feeding, the sustainability and profitability of the pork producer, and ensuring that our neighbors and consumers are eating one of the safest and most nutrient-dense foods in the world,” he said. Kellner noted that the financial impact of the feed mill means that revenue generated is “often donated or spent right back into the rural communities we call home.”

Through this unique partnership between Landus and AMVC, Hamlin will see more jobs created and high-quality food being produced right at home. Local initiatives like this one are part of the reason why Western Iowa is a flourishing place for business and life. To learn more about how Western Iowa Advantage creates a thriving local community, contact us today.