Amid the booming economic growth in the Boise area, chicken feed sales are seeing growth that is far more than the proverbial chicken feed.
With feed sales for all farm animals increasing 15% over the past year, a completely revamped retail store will hold its grand opening this Saturday,Oct. 19, at The Feed Mill, the iconic landmark in Meridian, ID.
Tours of the mill are scheduled for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. There will be free T-shirts for the first 100 people and drawings for prizes, including two tickets to the Luke Combs concert in Nampa. Hot dogs will be served by 4-H members, with donations for the hot dogs going to Simply Cats, Boise’s no-kill adoption center for cats.
The growth in sales is not so much from backyard chicken farmers — itself a growing trend — as from increased involvement with 4-H and FFA clubs and the reputation of the Dr. JimZ specialty feeds at the mill, believes Callie Zamzow, co-CEO of The Feed Mill.
The mill offers group tours and special bulk pricing. It also purchases many animals from customers at livestock sales and offers an FAA scholarship.
The Feed Mill makes more than 100 products, including over two dozen poultry feed blends for chickens and turkeys and special blends for laying hens. Its popular products with 4-H members include State Fair Pig Grower, State Fair Steer Feed and State Fair Lamb Grower. There will be special prices on a variety of products Saturday.
Animals raised on the mill’s products have won countless awards at the Western Idaho Fair, Canyon County Fair and other fairs in Southern Idaho.
The volume of customers has outgrown the retail space at the mill, Zamzow said.
“My father, Jim Zamzow, developed the formulas for our feeds, and he wanted to create a space that gives a good experience to our customers and highlights the history of our feeds,” she said. “Of course, we want people to buy our feed. We also want them to have the experience of an old-fashioned feed store with wooden floors, shopkeepers who wear aprons and call you by name, and feed made in small batches.”
Farm implements, photos and memorabilia from past years also give a glimpse of Meridian’s farming history. People are welcome to visit the feed store and learn about the area’s past, whether or not they purchase anything.
The feed mill is owned by the Zamzow family, which also owns the 13 Zamzows, Lawn, Garden & Pet stores throughout the Boise area. Zamzows is celebrating its 87th anniversary this month, with special sales at all its stores on a variety of items. The company was founded by Callie Zamzow’s great-grandparents.
The Feed Mill, whose grain tower is on the signage marking the Meridian historic district, was built in 1911. It became the first organic feed mill in Southern Idaho three years ago, and will have its third organic chicken feed on the market by next spring.
