POET announced that its new “ProPellet” will expand the number of livestock producers able to use dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) in their operations, as POET Biorefining-Mitchell in Mitchell, S.D., broke ground May 23 on a state-of-the-art pellet production facility to present its Dakota Gold product in an entirely different way.

The project will take the traditional form of loose Dakota Gold DDGS and convert it to a pelletized form, with an output of 70,000-100,000 tons annually, POET announced. This meets the demands of cow/calf and bison producers who so far have had limited feed options for ground, bunk or total mixed ration feeding.

Construction on the facility is expected to be completed in August. The $5 million system has significant engineering improvements over a typical pellet mill, providing customers with the fastest and most efficient loading possible, POET said.

“At POET, we constantly look for ways to not only create new products but to improve our current offerings to customers,” POET president and chief operating officer Jeff Lautt said. “This is a great example of that. This project at POET Biorefining-Mitchell provides a whole new slate of customers access to Dakota Gold distillers grain and gives them more flexibility in their feeding operations.”

“This is going to really open things up for local livestock producers,” general manager Becky Pitz said. “Siting this project in Mitchell allows us to distribute quickly to locations with a high concentration of cow/calf and bison producers.”

POET’s proprietary process produces a unique pellet that includes no binders and has a high pellet durability index (PDI). POET offers producers two pellet size options: 3/8 in. and 3/4 in.

Besides ProPellet, POET Biorefining-Mitchell will continue to sell traditional wet and dry Dakota Gold DDGS.

POET is a leader in biorefining through its efficient, vertically integrated approach to production. The 30-year-old company has a network of 27 production facilities. POET, through its joint venture with DSM, also operates a commercial-scale cellulosic biofuel plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa.