Mapleton Township hosted a Joint Economic Development meeting on Oct. 27 at the PMD arena.
Members of economic development committees of Mapleton, Minto and Wellington North, along with mayors, councillors and local MPP Randy Pettapiece and MP John Nater, were on hand to hear from guest speakers and receive updates on the area’s economic growth.
Guest speaker Vicky Hamell, operations manager at Wallenstein Feed and Supply, shared the history of the business from its grass roots to present day.
As a child, Lloyd Martin worked alongside his father at Wallenstein General Store, selling feed from the rear of the store. Martin expanded the business to a warehouse across the road from the store and eventually purchased Riverside Feeds in 1958 for $90,000, establishing Wallenstein Feed and Supply.
Tragedy struck on Aug. 10, 1963 when the mill burned to the ground causing an estimated $100,000 damage. Neighbouring mills rallied around Martin and filled feed orders for Martin’s customers. The mill was rebuilt four months later and Martin became a dealer for Purina and Shur Gain products.
Son Rick Martin joined the company as general manager in 1981. At this time Martin moved to the purchasing department. Mill #2, which is used to produce layer feeds, was added shortly after and the company employed a layer nutritionist and two employees per shift in the mill.
With continual growth the company had established itself as the largest feed producer in Canada.
An addition was add to Mill #2 in 1994. Planning began prior to 2001 for the building of Mill #3, which would process broiler, breeder and turkey feeds. With the purchase of Great Lakes Nutrition of Monkton, Ontario in 2009, the business increased by 27 employees and three trucks. As the company had outgrown its facilities again, Mill #3 added of an extra 76,000 tonnes of capacity in 2001. Mill #4 has been in the planning stage for two years and construction began in early February, 2015.
After 57 years of steady growth, Wallenstein Feed and Supply is now the largest feed mill in Canada, operating 24 hours a day, six days a week.
“Wallenstein Feeds is passionate and committed to the agricultural industry in Ontario. Our goals are to provide leadership in the delivery of nutritional solutions and support for our customers in achieving their goals,” Hamell said.
With a fleet of 43 trucks, the company delivers feed across Ontario from Windsor, Niagara, Kingston and North Bay and all points in between. Exports to Trinidad and Slovakia have taken the company into the world markets. Augered trucks are gradually replacing blower trucks.
Over 1,800 different feeds are produced at the Wallenstein site and 700 premixes are made in Monkton. The bulk of the companies feed is pelleted for the layer, broiler, turkey, swine, dairy and beef industries. A small portion of sales are crumb mixtures. A four-pass grinder mill, the first in Canada, is used to improve the texture of feed mixes.
Currently Mill #1 is not fully automated. The automation process produces a consistent product. Bar coding systems are excellent tools in inventory control and traceability. A team of 10 nutritionist creates feed formulas based on the species diet, nutritional requirements and cost. Computer formulated programs can change up to 22 times per week.
In 2007 the company brought all its boilers under one roof by building a six-boiler power plant. Steam is necessary to produce pelleted feeds. Water sources at the mill are extremely hard and require treatment threw a system of micron filters, softeners, polishers and reverse osmosis producing the best quality water possible.
“Over the growth period of the mill, computerization and automation have increased the productivity of management and feed delivery,” said Hamell. “Continual growth of the mill has come with opposition and stress. The organizational structure is now made up of an excellent middle management staff. Communications between employees continues to be a constant challenge. Environmental rules and regulations involving air, water and noise are constantly changing. Biosecurity laws are getting stronger every year.”
