The recent modernization of the Archer Daniels Midland Company Flour Mill in Enid, Oklahoma, will ensure the 70-year-old facility benefits the farmers and citizens of the community for generations to come.
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, ADM officials and local dignitaries officially cut the ribbon on the newly updated facility Oct. 8.
The mill was originally built in 1928, and was operated by the Pillsbury company until ADM purchased it in 1993. Generations of Enid families have worked at the mill with some in attendance at the ceremony.
Gov. Fallin said capturing added value of agricultural products has been one of Oklahoma’s longstanding goals for the state’s farmers.
“This ribbon cutting today represents progress toward that goal for Oklahoma, for Enid, and for our wheat producers,” she said. “The investment by ADM will ensure its long-term viability in our state. It also is another indication that our commitment to pro-business policies is helping to attract and retain a wide variety of jobs and businesses to the state.”
ADM retrofitted the existing mill by replacing the two milling units that produce 7,500 hundredweight of flour a day with one highly automated, state-of-the-art unit that produces 15,000 hundredweight of flour per day, on half of the mill’s physical footprint. This leaves room for the mill to expand in the future. The company also plans to add a new high-speed packer in the first quarter of 2019, which will build its capacity to grow its United States and international customer base. The technology upgrades will help employees get the most flour from grain at the highest qualities, company officials said.
Kevin Like, vice president of commercial sales for ADM Milling said this mill is projected to produce 468 million pounds of wheat flour a year. That wheat will be shipped out in bulk by truck and on the two rail lines that cross Enid, the Union Pacific and BNSF. The mill can also package 50-pound bags for food service and retail 5-pound bags of flour. The flour will be shipped to customers from Arkansas to Arizona and points all over the U.S. and abroad.
“This facility and this expansion project is a symbol of our intentions of upgrading our assets across the country and the world in milling,” Like said. “This area is primarily hard red winter wheat growing area and this mill has served as a hub for wheat harvest for decades. We will continue to work with the farmers nearby and other grain companies.”
The quality of the wheat produced by the region’s farmers continues to grow and is in demand by ADM’s flour customers, he said.
“Quality is very important and increasingly our customers are interested in the functionality of the quality characteristics of our flour,” Like said. The company looks at the wheat varieties released each year by public and private breeders and encourages growers to grow those that will produce higher quality flours.
OG&E greatly helped in the retrofitting, by putting in a new electrical substation at the mill to help with the electricity needs of the new technology. The technology is more energy efficient, which should also reduce downtime and increase the reliability of servicing customers, Like said.
Local leaders are ecstatic that the mill is staying in Enid and that ADM is investing in the future of the community.
“The people of Enid have been hardworking and many families have seen multiple generations working at our mill,” Like said. “It’s an art and a science and the people of Enid understand flour milling.”
Brent Kisling, executive director of the Enid Regional Development Alliance, and Bill Shewey, mayor of Enid, both touted the good technical jobs available at the flour mill and the improved quality of life those jobs will bring to the citizens of Enid. With aerospace, energy and agricultural interests, the region around Enid continues to diversify in its economic interests. This, Kisling explained, will ensure the community thrives no matter what sector experiences ups and downs. And with every governmental entity in Enid and the county pulling together, they were able to offer Tax Increment Financing District, or TIF, funds to help in the development, Kisling said.
Gov. Fallin said ADM’s investment shows support for the future of Enid and Oklahoma farmers.
“This makes sure this mill stays here,” she said. “Other places in the U.S. have seen mills shut down. But with this community’s support, they show they believe in ADM and ADM’s investment in the machinery here means that this facility will be accessible for farmers.” Ultimately this will advance Oklahoma on the export scene and show that Oklahoma is an economy that is growing and is open for business, she added.
Jennifer M. Latzke can be reached at 620-227-1807 or [email protected].
