ADM to Close Los Angeles, CA Wheat Mill

DECATUR, Illinois -- Daniels Midland Co. said today it will be closing its longtime wheat mill in Los Angeles following increased investment in newer facilities to better compete in certain markets.

"We’ve made significant investments over the past several years to modernize and realign our North American wheat milling footprint, including opening our new state-of-the-art facility (in 2019) in Mendota, Illinois," said ADM spokesperson Jackie Anderson.

"We’ve also made some difficult but important decisions about our ability to compete with older facilities in certain markets," she added. "After exploring a wide variety of alternatives, we have informed colleagues of our intention to end production at our Los Angeles wheat mill later this year. We’ll plan to sell our property there, including the adjacent warehouse."

The completion of the Mendota mill followed on the heels of a major update of ADM’s flour mill in Enid, Oklahoma. At 30,000 cwt, the Mendota mill was the largest ever capacity for a new U.S. mill.

Anderson emphasized the decision to close the 87-year-old Los Angeles facility was not related to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"After examining many options, we determined it is unlikely we can continue to compete effectively in this market with that facility," she said. "Our primary focus is the respect and care of our employees during this time, and we’ll work with our customers to ensure a smooth transition."