Feed mill is a feather in Alabama county's cap

When Wayne Farms recently opened its South Alabama Feed Mill, it also opened the door to huge economic growth.

The mill, near the town of Ozark in Dale County, is one of the largest of its kind in North America. It sits on a 165-acre site and has a production capacity of 25,000 tons per week.

"This project means the world to our county," said Dale County Commission Chairman Mark Blankenship. "I think we may become known as the chicken capital of the world, and that's fine with us. It means jobs and opportunity for our citizens."

Clint Rivers, the mill's chief operating officer, said that in addition to adding 80 jobs to the community, the facility also will infuse $3 million annually into the local economy.

"This feed mill is connected to the $60 million investment in our Dothan processing plant that provides 500 new jobs for that area," he said. "So when you ask which came first, the processing plant or the feed mill, it begins with the feed mill."

Wayne Farms has three poultry processing facilities in southeast Alabama: Union Springs, Enterprise and Dothan. The new mill will deliver feed to a network of farms in and around those areas that grow chickens specifically for Wayne Farms.

Local row crop farmers will also benefit from the mill’s construction: Company officials say they expect to buy 3 million bushels of locally grown corn each year. The majority of corn and soybeans the mill uses will be delivered by train to rail and elevator system able to unload 90 carloads of grain in 15 hours.