Southern States Feed Mill Fact Sheet

Southern States was organized as Virginia Seed Service, with a primary goal of providing certified seed and products that would produce extra yield, to make the business of farming more profitable.

In 1925, Southern States expanded its offering to include manufactured feed. Farmers faced 2 problems. First, mixed and formula feeds were priced extremely high. Second, the quality of feed available was not the best. The combination provided a "cooperative" opportunity to serve farmers with solutions to both problems.

In the late 20s and early 30s, Southern States started a policy where they marked the formulas and specifications on tags that were attached to all feed bags, which revolutionized the feed industry. By providing tags, the producers could be assured of a consistent manufactured feed, one with identifiable ingredients. Southern States was also a pioneer in bulk feed delivery. Once feed mills were established, bulk delivery became a cost saving innovation for farmers.

Southern States has continued to be a leader in the feed industry. In 1954, Cooperative Research Farms (CRF) was organized to conduct research for the benefit of their customers. Southern States was a founding member of CRF. Today, CRF is the world's largest international private animal nutrition research network. The research provides nutritional advantages-that means additional income to the producers.

HACCP Certification

(Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points)

Today, all Southern States mills have HACCP certification. HACCP is an international program designed to ensure the safety of all food and feed products. HACCP certification gives our customers the assurance that the feed products they buy are safe and healthy for their livestock. Another potential benefit of feeding HACCP-certified feed is that your animals will have a higher value in the marketplace.

American Feed Industry Association

Safe Feed/Safe Food was created to recognize companies demonstrating their pledge to deliver safe and wholesome feed, while enhancing customer confidence in their products.

Park City Feed Mill Awards

Each year, the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) and Feed Management magazine co-sponsor the Feed Mill of the Year Award. The winner of the 2007 nationwide award was the Southern States Park City, Kentucky feed mill. The award was based on the quality of operation, efficiency, safety and biosecurity competencies.

The 2007 award is the second Feed Mill of the Year recognition Southern States has received in the 23 years the national competition has been held. Southern States mills regularly place high in the annual program, as well as other related competitions that measure feed mill truck fleets. Park City earned the "Most Improved Truck Fleet" award a year ago and a number of years earlier was honored as having the nation's top truck fleet.

These award programs are designed to be a tool that feed mills can use to determine how they match up against other top facilities and where they can improve.

Barber Feed Mill Named Best in the Country

For the second time in the last three years, a Southern States feed mill has been named best in the nation. Barber Feed Mill, in Cleveland, North Carolina was designated Feed Mill of the Year for 2009 by the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA). The Barber mill also won the award in 1998. This year’s honor marks only the second time in the 25-year history of the competition that a single mill has received the top award more than once.

The Southern States mill in Park City, Kentucky won Feed Mill of the Year in 2007.

The Feed Mill of the Year award is co-sponsored by AFIA and Feedstuffs magazine. The program is designed not only to recognize overall excellence in feed manufacturing operations but to encourage overall improvement in the feed manufacturing industry. A new grading system, instituted in 2007, provides valuable feedback to every plant that enters the competition. Increased safety, quality, regulatory compliance, operating efficiencies and overall industry awareness of food safety are promoted, and as companies compete, their operations continue to improve and the overall image of the feed industry is enhanced. More than 100 mills throughout the U.S. submitted entries in the 2009 competition.

Southern States’ Barber feed mill manufactures over 90 thousand tons of feed a year, with about 60 percent bagged and the remainder in bulk feeds.

“I’m proud of this award,” said mill manager Mark Whitaker, “but I’m equally proud of all our employees. We’re a team that works together and helps one another to improve daily. We all just want to do the right things for our customers, and when you have that kind of attitude combined with strong corporate leadership, good things – like this award – happen.”

According to Bill Monroe, Manager of Feed Mill Operations for Southern States, the company has participated in the annual awards program for many years, “but it always recharges our efforts when the industry recognizes one of our mills as the best in the nation.”

“Southern States is proud of Mark and the entire staff at Barber Feed Mill,” said President and CEO, Tom Scribner, “and we would like to thank the American Feed Industry Association and Feedstuffs magazine for this outstanding recognition of quality and commitment to our customers.”

2011 AFIA Feed Mill of the Year

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