The American Feed Industry Assn. (AFIA) and Feedstuffs have announced Trouw Nutrition USA of Neosho, Mo., as the 2016 Feed Facility of the Year (FFY) award program’s overall winner.

The recognition was made during AFIA’s Feed Education Program held at the 2017 International Production & Processing Expo in Atlanta, Ga. FFY is designed to recognize overall excellence in feed manufacturing operations. It is co-sponsored by AFIA and Feedstuffs.

“Trouw’s Neosho plant is committed to excellence in the manufacturing process,” plant manager Douglas Vanjoff said. “The facility strives to meet each of our customer’s needs through the use of computer-controlled systems, focusing on quality, safety and sustainability.

“We sincerely appreciate this recognition of our plant’s operational excellence,” Vanjoff added. “We are very proud of this facility and everything that we do. To be recognized as a leader in the industry is a testament to our team’s commitment.”

Trouw holds a total of six quality certifications, including AFIA’s Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program, Safe Quality Food Level Two, Fami QS, GMP+, hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) and restricted-use protein products (RUPP).

Formerly the Feed Mill of the Year award, the FFY program in 2016 introduced a new format with beneficial changes to position itself as a first-class benchmarking program for the animal feed industry. AFIA represents several types of manufacturing plants within its membership, and the new format addresses all types by comparing plants in five categories: commercial dry livestock, integrator, liquid feed, pet food and premix. Trouw topped the premix manufacturing plant category. Westway Feed Products of Dimmit, Texas, won the liquid feed plant category, and Tennessee Farmer’s Cooperative of LaVergne, Tenn., was named the winner of the commercial dry livestock feed plant category. Due to application numbers, no winners were selected for the integrator feed plant and pet food plant categories.

Westway Feed Products supplies liquid feed solutions globally, providing customers with resources, services, technical support and a collaborative culture to understand and meet their needs. “The most important component of our facility is the staff,” said Phil Thomas, plant manager of Westway Feed Products’ Dimmit facility. “Their experience and dedication is what allow us to provide top-notch service and quality products.” The Dimmit facility is Safe Feed/Safe Food certified and HACCP certified.

The goal of Tennessee Farmers Cooperative’s LaVergne plant, established in 1958, is to meet the feed and animal health needs of livestock and pet owners through quality products and expertise. The plant is Safe Feed/Safe Food certified through AFIA. “The employees of the LaVergne feed mill are probably the most dedicated individuals that I’ve had the privilege of working with over the past 36 years,” said Bobby Brown, plant manager at Tennessee Farmer’s Cooperative’s LaVergne plant. “I personally think they deserve the recognition.”

More information on AFIA’s FFY program can be found at: http://www.afia.org/feedmilloftheyear. The annual Feed Education Program, provides updates on recent regulatory changes from several federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, Food & Drug Administration and DOL's Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Industry experts also provided insight to two hot topics for plant managers: pellet quality and product segregation in bins. The program was hosted by AFIA’s Production Compliance Committee.