Particle Size Reduction
November 22, 2012
Regardless of your feed production process, there is a good chance that you will have to grind material to a suitable size for processing. In the case of…
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Focusing on Your Business
November 20, 2012
Recently, I visited one of the major poultry and swine producers in Central Russia. The company is very dynamic and growing rapidly. They have their own land where…
What Can I Do with Immature or Early Frost Damaged Soybeans?
November 15, 2012
In farming and agriculture in general, there are conditions that are beyond the control of the farmer or the producer. One of these conditions is weather. It is…
What Poor People Do
November 13, 2012
A couple of months ago, a West African banker told me, “Farming is what poor people do.” Well, I recently had the privilege of attending the World Food…
Water Injection
November 8, 2012
When we talk about water injections as it relates to Insta-Pro extruders, we generally think about production of shaped products such as pet foods, fish feed, etc. There…
How to Manage Aflatoxin in Corn – What are Some of the Options?
November 6, 2012
Watt E-News reported on September 19, 2012, that the “U.S. corn and soybean crops are being harvested more quickly than anticipated, putting potential pressure on prices in the…
Mechanical Oil Pressing
November 1, 2012
Oil extraction is often a goal with seed processing. Oils can be harvested from a variety of seeds and a common method is through an oil press. This…
Non-GMO Beans: More People Are Talking
October 25, 2012
We attended the Soy and Grain Trade Summit in September and found the industry to be very active with many developments. One area that seemed to be a…
Extrusion Cost of Grains and Soybeans for Swine – Can it be Justified?
October 23, 2012
The feed industry is experiencing high ingredients cost due to the drought. The cost of corn quadrupled while soybeans and soybean meal cost at least double what it…
To Grind or Not to Grind
October 18, 2012
Recently the question of whether to extrude whole or ground soybeans has come up several times. So now is a good time to discuss the pros and cons…
Sensitivity Analysis
October 16, 2012
The prospect of making a large capital investment is daunting for all businesses, regardless of size. There is inherent risk any time a business decides to devote a…
Extruder Screw Design and Purpose
October 11, 2012
At its core, the extruder is a very simple machine. The various configurations of shaft speed, number of chambers and types of screws/steamlocks enables the operator to create…
Can I Make my own Aquatic Feed?
October 9, 2012
As corn, wheat and soybean prices sky rocket, manufacturers of feed for retail are forced to increase their prices. Feed constitutes the main operational cost of all livestock,…
Spare Parts
October 4, 2012
Nowadays it’s a real balancing act to keep the costs associated with a feed business down. Being competitive with input costs that change daily can drive you crazy.…
In Feed Formulation, the Input Determines the Output
September 27, 2012
I received a correspondence from a practicing nutritionist and feed formulator wanting to verify the True Metabolizable Energy (TMEn) of an Extruded-Expelled soybean meal (ExPress® soybean meal) that…
Knocking on the Dollar Door: 5 Do’s for Raising Project Finance
September 25, 2012
DO prepare a Business Plan. Have it written, or at least checked, by a professional. It is easy to overlook key items, or include basic mistakes, that your…
Soybean Dehulling – How Does it Work?
September 20, 2012
A topic we come across often is the need, or want, for soybean dehulling. Dehulling (or decortication) is the process of removing the hull of a seed and…
Strategic Focus: Needs of Market versus Company Strengths
September 18, 2012
In my last blog, I discussed the importance of defining “Where We Will Play” and “How We Will Win” when defining your strategic focus. Digging deeper into this approach…