Runner-up: Southern States Winchester Feed Mill
Feedstuffs, December 5, 2011
© 2011 Feedstuffs. Reprinted with permission from Vol. 83, No. 50, December 5, 2011.
Southern States Cooperative’s Winchester Mill in Winchester, Ky., has been selected as runner-up for the 2011 
Feed Mill of the Year award.
Constructed in 1976, the mill manufactures 73,000 tons of feed annually at a 75% bagged to 25% bulk ratio, focusing primarily on pelleted and textured bagged horse feeds, in addition to bags for dairy, beef, swine, horse, poultry, sheep, goat, rabbit and wildlife feeds.
Winchester is fully automated in all manufacturing processes. Fully integrated PLC-based controls assure accuracy, consistency and the integrity of all formula feeds and ingredients. The mill utilizes a bar code hand-add system to ensure that all micro nutrients and medications are accurately measured into formula feeds. In addition, it operates a stand-alone Computer Maintenance Management System.
All equipment is bar coded, and maintenance employees utilize personal digital assistants to perform preventive and work order-based maintenance. The Winchester mill has 29 production, maintenance and clerical employees who work two shifts per day on a five-day workweek. The plant’s safety committee consists of six supervisory and non-supervisory employees on a rotating basis.
The mill has a written safety program and emergency plan. Annual training is also conducted in a number of safety areas, including railcar fall prevention and chemical handling.
“The phrase ‘you are as good as the people you have around you’ is something that rings true here at the Winchester plant, where the average employee tenure is over 20 years,” explained plant manager Richard Sladic. “This fact illustrates the dedication to service, quality, employee engagement and safety that makes my job so rewarding.
“Southern States has a commitment to providing the highest-quality bag and bulk feeding solutions to its farmer members that also parallels my personal commitment to excellence in the feed industry,” he continued. Winchester’s “Safety First” culture is exemplified by the fact that the plant has not had a lost time accident in 794,437 hours (11.45 years). It was the first facility in Southern States’ Feed Division to initiate the Near Miss Program to monitor unsafe work conditions.
The plant is certified annually by the Facility Certification Institute for compliance in both hazard analysis and critical control points and the American Feed Industry Assn.’s Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification programs. Winchester is fully compliant with the Bio Terrorism Act and has been inspected by both the Food & Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency within the past year.
The mill’s employees are involved with several civic, community and religious associations. This includes the local Youth 4-H and Prison Ministry, as well as participating in fund-raising events such as the Walk for the Cure and the Walk for the Poor. The mill also donates used mini pallets to the Kentucky Fish & Game Commission to be used as fish habitat for the state’s ponds and lakes.
SOUTHERN STAFF: From left to right, Southern States’ Winchester, Ky., staff includes: (front row) Dave McLemore, Richard Willoughby, Roger Pitts and Nick Chism; (second row) Rich Sladic, Don McNay, Billy Wills, Larry Pitts, Alex Miller, Wayne Spencer, Heather Wills, Bobby Wills and Jeff Mayo; (back row) Dennis Henry,
Melvin Oaks, Jimmy Stevens, Jackie Banks, Charles McGuire, Ernie Clark, Russell Gipson, Dustin Stevens, Travis Johnson and Vernon Hukle. Not pictured are: Brian Earlywine, Randall Sparks, Matt Hukle, Mike Sparks, Chip Blakeman and Larry Byrd (not the basketball player).