Wayne Sanderson Farms to invest $43 million in new Danville feed mill

Oakwood, Ga.-based Wayne Sanderson Farms announced Tuesday (Feb. 27) it is building a $43 million feed mill at the company’s processing plant in Danville, Ark., with completion expected in April 2025. The new operation is estimated to add 15 jobs.

The mill, to be built on 21 acres next to the processing plant, will support 125 poultry farms in the region, according to the company. The mill is estimated to produce 8,500 tons of feed a week, with some of the raw materials purchased from local row crop farmers.

“Farming and poultry are the economic drivers here,” Toby Tapp, Danville complex manager, said in a statement. “Poultry is big business in Yell County and across the region. We just took the mayor, city administrator, county judge and other officials on a tour of the construction site and we’re getting lots of support – the entire community is excited to see construction begin.”

The company said nearly 380 truckloads or 2,450 cubic yards of concrete will be continuously poured using the slipped-form method and will be finished in about a week once pouring begins. Separate grain silos will be erected this spring, and Tapp expects the entire facility to be finished by April 2025.

The new facility will be capable of unloading 26,500 bushels of corn or soy grain per hour, and it will have expanded storage for ingredients, finished feed, whole grains, liquids and warehouse space for stored inventory. Twin pellet mills have the ability to produce feed at 45 tons per hour and the mill can mix and batch feed at 160 tons per hour. With a 10 minute load time for outbound feed trucks, the mill will feature emergency generators, mill automation and lighting/HVAC systems, a requirement to ensure ongoing operations during severe weather events and potential power outages.

Wayne-Sanderson Farms is the third-largest U.S. poultry producer and employs more than 26,000 people in 23 fresh and further-processing facilities in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas.