The Equity held a ribbon cutting and open house for its new state-of-the-art feed mill in Horace, Ill., on Aug. 22.

Construction on the mill started in 2016, and operations began in February 2018. It is designed to produce up to 450,000 tons of complete swine feeds per year, which will feed 1.35 million market pigs annually.

The mill will utilize 6.4 million bu. of corn and 2.7 million bu. of soybeans annually.

As one of the largest independent agricultural cooperatives in Illinois, The Equity said it is committed to furthering opportunities in production agriculture in east-central Illinois and west-central Indiana. The Equity’s roots date back to 1919, when a group of farmers realized that by joining together, they would have greater buying power than each farmer had individually.

Today, The Equity offers a broad range of products to fulfill customers’ needs, including agronomy, grain services, feed and livestock, energy and a Hardware Do It Center. The Equity provides services to customers in an area encompassing 20,000 square miles.

Along with the new feed mill expansion, The Equity said it is also looking to expand the number of pig farms it has under contract.