AFIA, Feedstuffs Name Famo Feeds as 2018 Feed Facility of the Year
February 13, 2019
Contact Victoria Broehm
The American Feed Industry Association and Feedstuffs congratulate Famo Feeds of Freeport, Minn., for being named the 2018 Feed Facility of the Year (FFY). Gary Huddleston, AFIA’s director of feed manufacturing and regulatory affairs, announced that the family-owned feed company won the award during AFIA’s Feed Production Education Program, held today at the International Production & Processing Expo, happening this week in Atlanta, Ga.
“Famo Feeds was selected as our winner because they do a fantastic job of serving the needs of their customers, while investing in a new plant and continuing to spend money on improvements,” said Huddleston. “Famo Feeds is a family-owned business, the first ever to win this award, and I think that shows in how they treat their customers.”
The FFY award recognizes overall excellence in feed manufacturing operations, from the company’s commitment to safety, quality and regulatory compliance to employee development to overall operating efficiencies. To date, only 33 facilities have received this esteemed industry award.
Famo Feeds is an animal nutrition business that manufactures and markets a full-line of livestock and poultry feeds. Serving 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.
There are many factors that helped Famo Feeds achieve the FFY award, including its uniqueness as a small family-owned business. For a smaller facility, Famo Feeds does an excellent job of complying with regulations in the feed industry, especially the Food Safety Modernization Act. The company maintains a strong food safety plan and is constantly monitoring its operations to ensure quality standards are met. The facility maintains certifications in hazard analysis and critical control points, Facility Certified Institute-Restricted Use Protein Products and Safe Feed/Safe Food.
Famo Feeds prioritizes customer service, while taking the time and money to invest back into the company. Their philosophy is that the constant flow of new challenges in the agricultural sector represents new opportunities, which they are eager and ready to seize.
In the last few years, the company has made a number of 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.
As a family business, Famo Feeds treats its dealers and producer clientele like family. The staff takes pride in the quality of their products and programs, the strength of their team, and the collective impact they make in the industry.
AFIA has conducted the FFY program since 1985, and is recognized as a first-class benchmarking program for the animal food industry, awarding top-performing facilities in four categories: commercial dry livestock, integrator, liquid feed and premix. From those, the FFY award is selected. More information on the FFY program, as well as a list of past winners, can be found on AFIA’s website.
AFIA recognized the category winners earlier this month and honored them with plaques at today’s Feed Production Education program. Famo Feeds topped the commercial dry livestock feed category; Koch Foods of Morton, Miss., won the integrator category; Quality Liquid Feeds of Clovis, N.M., won the liquid feed plant category; and Trouw Nutrition of Highland, Ill., won the premix manufacturing plant category.
AFIA would also like to recognize the semi-finalists of each program category: including Kent Nutrition Group of Marshall, Mo., ADM Nutrition of Cordele, Ga., and Kent Nutrition Group of Columbus, Neb., for the commercial dry livestock feed category; Trouw Nutrition of Neosho, Mo., Animix of Juneau, Wis., and Bellstra Milling of Demotte, Ind., in the premix category; Sanderson Farms of Oakwood, Texas, Wayne Farms of Newton, Ala., and Sanderson Farms of Collins, Miss., for the integrator category; and Performix Nutrition Systems of Nampa, Idaho, for the liquid feed plant category.