Planada Mill
Modesto Milling is the only organic feed producer in the western United States that produces its own soybean meal.
Modesto Milling is the only organic feed producer in the Western United States that produces its own soybean meal. We had to start producing our own soybean meal and oil to manage the growth in demand for our feeds, and also to control quality and increase our flexibility in choosing vendors. Our Planada mill now makes:
- Organic soybean meal
- Organic soybean oil
- and organic full fat soybean meal
Organic full fat soybean meal is a high-protein and high-fat product that has great palatability and is a source of bypass protein for cattle and other ruminants (hoofed cud-chewing mammals with multiple stomach chambers).
Producing and extruding our own soybean products means we have more choices when it comes to buying beans instead of being limited to sourcing meal and oil from a very limited number of providers.
Starting in May 2014, we started removing the old milling equipment we could not use and installing the new extruders and oil presses made by Insta-Pro International of Iowa. We chose Insta-Pro due to its reputation for high-quality, reliable equipment; output of products that maximize protein, amino acids, energy and digestibility; stabilization of ingredients for long shelf life for feed; and sterilization capabilities. All of these factors help us better control costs (which keeps our prices lower) and quality (which keeps birds and animals healthier and happier).
We started extruding our own beans in December 2014 and spent the next six months fine-tuning the equipment and increasing our extrusion proficiency.