Photo credit: Star of the West.
Star of the West Corn Milling LLC has been awarded $450,000 in Food and Agriculture Investment Program grant funding from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to support construction of a new dry corn milling facility in Quincy, Michigan.
The grant will help fund a $79 million project that includes demolition of decommissioned mill structures and construction of a six-story slipform mill building, warehouse and packaging area, feed loadout structure, and employee office and relief building. The investment also will support installation of advanced automation technology and modernization processes while creating 17 new jobs.
The new facility is expected to strengthen the company's corn milling operations and expand processing capacity for Michigan-grown food grade corn. During its first year of operation, the mill is expected to add value to more than 5 million bushels of corn produced in the state. Once fully operational, the facility is projected to process more than 6.7 million bushels annually, representing about 2% of Michigan's annual corn production.
Michigan produces more than 340 million bushels of corn each year but currently has no corn mills. The project is expected to provide an additional market for food grade corn growers while expanding in-state processing capacity.
Founded in 1870 and headquartered in Frankenmuth, Michigan, Star of the West supplies flour, dry edible beans, food grade soybeans and ready-to-eat wheat flakes. The company operates four mills across four states, more than 30 grain elevators and five bean processing facilities. It ranks as the 10th largest miller in the United States.
The Food and Agriculture Investment Program provides financial support for projects that expand food and agricultural processing, encourage industry growth and strengthen Michigan's economy. Funding decisions are based on factors including a project's potential impact on the agriculture industry and its contribution to investment and growth within the state.
Since fiscal year 2019, MDARD has awarded more than $6.9 million through the program. Those grants are part of more than $276 million distributed by the department over the past seven years to support infrastructure improvements, agricultural development, food safety initiatives and job creation across Michigan.
Source: Michigan Farm News, "Star of the West Corn Milling project awarded $450K in development grant funding "