ANEW ERA of better and economical 

 feed service for southern Illinois be- 

 gan Nov. 29 with the formal opening of 

 the Illinois Farm Supply Company feed 

 mill at Benton. 



The new mill will supply patrons 

 through 1 5 feed distributors who operate 

 in 20 counties surrounding Benton. 



At 1:20 p.m. Illinois Farm Supply 

 President Fred E. Herndon closed the 

 switch which set the wheels in motion 

 and the first batch of Blue Seal feed 

 went into production. 



Sixty feed distributors, managers, di- 

 rectors and farm advisers from southern 

 Illinois attended the formal opening. 



During the inspection tour which 

 followed, the first feed was put into 

 production — a two ton batch of Blue 

 Seal Hog Supplement. Visitors watched 



the weighing of each ingredient accord- 

 ing to the formula written within the 

 standards set by the quality control com- 

 mittee. 



After the weighing process, the feed 

 was dropped into the batch mixers to be 

 thoroughly blended, then passed through 

 conveying equipment to the automatic 

 scales to be weighed, bagged, and sewed. 

 From the bagging machine, the feed was 

 carried directly into the new 12-ton 

 semi-trailer trucks, also owned and op- 

 erated by the company, to be driven to 

 feed distributors' warehouses. 



Each step in the making of the feed 

 was accomplished with a maximum of 

 efficiency and a minimum of actual 

 manual labor. Mechanical equipment 

 also conveys the major portion of in- 

 gredients in bulk direct from the railroad 



car into the new storage bins, and from 

 them on to the scales, where it is manu- 

 factured as described heretofore. 



When Illinois Farm Supply Company 



fiurchased the flour milling properties 

 rom Benton Milling Company in April, 

 1945, it was planned that, after minor 

 alterations were made, the mill would 

 begin operating within six months. How- 

 ever, after construction started, it was 

 soon evident that it would be more 

 advantageous to re-model the facilities 

 with several major additions so that the 

 finished plant might be modern in every 

 respect. 



This would give more efficient pro- 

 duction of feeds as well as assure better 

 control of quality — impossible with less 

 modern equipment. This change of plans, 

 together with building restrictions and 

 difficulties in securing deliveries of 

 material and equipment, extended the 

 time required for construction far beyond 

 original expectations. 



The original three story, brick build- 

 ing was adjoined by a two-story ware- 

 house. As the building stands today, 

 it is composed of four stories and has, 

 in addition, twelve bulk storage bins. 



At the request of Farm Bureau mem- 

 bership in southern Illinois, the mill is 

 providing a marketing service in addition 

 to the feed service. The elevator adjoins 

 the mill proper. This part of the busi- 

 ness was in operation during the wheat 

 and bean han'est season, and a total of 

 120,000 bushels of grain was marketed 

 through the mill by the Southern Illinois 

 Grain Company, a subsidiary set up to 

 render grain marketing service. Con- 

 struction of the mill provides grain 

 storage space for the feed milling opera- 

 tions during the non-marketing season. 



The major portion of the planning and 

 supervising of construction at Benton has 

 been in the hands of C. E. Holtkamp, 

 manager of the mill. i 



left: llllnolt Farm Supply Company Prasldont Frad Hamden (right), McDonovgh county, throws tho switch that starts Ronton mill oporo- 

 tion. Othors, loft to right, aro: Illinois Farm Svpply Monagor C. H. •ockor, C. E. Holtkamp, mill managor holding watch to timo op- 

 eration; Josso L Boory, IFS vico prosldont, Macon county, and William B. Muoiior, troosuror of tho Columbia Farmars Cooperative Grain 

 Company. Righti Visitors to tho Benton mill watch the mixing of the first batch of feed from hoppers holding the various ingredients. 



16 



L A. A. BECOBD 



