The new landscape of Wayne-Sanderson Farms’ Danville, Arkansas, complex represents more than just the replacement of its nearly 60-year-old feed mill with a state-of-the-art facility. It marks a new chapter in modern manufacturing for the third-largest poultry producer in the U.S., combining advanced automation, precision nutrition capabilities and operational resilience.
At 171 feet and eight stories high, the new mill tower overshadows the former mill and other buildings on the 21-acre vertically integrated complex — including a processing plant, hatchery and the feed mill. This unique configuration allows management teams across Wayne-Sanderson Farms’ core business units to work side by side, providing operational benefits.
Wayne-Sanderson Farms’ $43-million investment in Danville feed operations prepares the complex for future growth, increasing its weekly feed production capacity to 8,500 tons at full capacity.
Wayne-Sanderson Farms maintained feed production at the original mill throughout construction of the new facility, located on the same 21-acre property. Courtesy Wayne-Sanderson Farms
“The original feed mill was an aged asset, and we needed to make an investment to continue to do business here," said Kevin McDaniel, president and CEO of Wayne-Sanderson Farms. "The new mill signifies the importance of the Danville operation. It’s the lifeline of our live production system."
Investing in operational reliability and efficiency is part of the company’s overall strategy to better serve area family farms and secure the future of poultry production in the Arkansas River Valley.
Transition plan with uninterrupted production
Transitioning from the old feed mill to the new facility without interruption to ensure continuous feed supply to contract farms took careful orchestration.
Jason Norris, director of engineering for Wayne-Sanderson Farms, led the project from bidding through completion, drawing on his experience overseeing multiple feed mill construction projects across the company's network.
Engineering firm Younglove LLC was awarded the construction bid, which followed a 22-month timeline from groundbreaking to producing feed. A grand opening ceremony celebrating the site’s completion was held in July 2025.
Upgraded capacity and resilience
The new mill's capabilities dwarf its predecessor in nearly every metric. Two 45-ton-per-hour CPM pellet lines feed into a Hayes & Stolz eight-ton double-shaft twin ribbon mixer that can batch approximately 120 tons per hour — more than double the old mill’s 3.5-ton mixer.
Wayne-Sanderson Farms invested $43 million to increase the complex's weekly feed production to 8,500 tons at full capacity.Elise Schafer
The mill produces 6,200 to 6,300 tons per week, with plans to gradually ramp up based on future production needs.
Finished feed storage capacity also doubled to 1,200 tons, creating an essential buffer during peak demand or weather-related disruptions.
“Before, our storage contained only less than a day's worth of feed if we were full,” said Aaron Coffman, feed mill manager. “Now, with the tonnage we can produce in a shorter amount of time and the overhead feed storage, if an ice storm or hazardous weather is coming, we’re capable of making contingency plans to get feed out beforehand.”
A 400-kilowatt backup generator powers limited mash production and the load-out system, ensuring business continuity during outages. While the generator can’t support the horsepower required by pellet mills and grinders, “the main thing is to have, at any given time, finished feed in your loadout bins ready to be delivered to farms,” McDaniel said.
With the region prone to ice, tornadoes and grid instability, McDaniel noted the generator reduces vulnerability to external forces and provides peace of mind.
The mill's warehouse stores 330 tons of micro ingredients for the production of nine different types of poultry feed.Elise Schafer
The new mill also strengthens reliability and worker safety. The old mill’s conveying equipment sat outside, exposed to Arkansas weather and difficult to access. The new facility’s enclosed sixth-floor headhouse now protects turnheads and conveying equipment from the elements while improving accessibility for maintenance.
Safety enhancements also include comprehensive dust-management systems. Baghouses on the roof and sixth floor, along with two dust collectors on the receiving side, capture airborne particles, while an integrated vacuum system enables controlled grain-dust cleanup throughout the facility.
“Grain dust is an explosion hazard, so we take a lot of effort and pride in keeping the mill safe,” Coffman said. “There are ports throughout the entire facility, so we can broom down any dust and sweep it into the vacuum system. It's a safe way to move dust from point A to point B.”
With operational capacity, weather resilience, equipment protection and dust-control systems all upgraded, the mill provides a robust new foundation for the complex’s feed production demands.
Receiving operations
CPM Beta Raven process automation is integrated from receiving operations through feed loadout.Elise Schafer
“You've got locally grown product in the River Valley area, and also the river elevators close by with the opportunity to move off of barge if needed,” McDaniel said.
Two dedicated receiving legs unload ingredients at up to 26,500 bushels per hour. Corn trucks typically unload in five to six minutes, while soybean meal — depending on flow characteristics — unloads in 12 to 14 minutes. Storage capacity includes a 42,000-bushel day tank, a 320,000-bushel corn bin and 330 tons of micro-ingredient warehouse space.
Improvements in receiving speed and ingredient handling ensure a steady supply of raw materials to match the mill’s heightened production capabilities.
Precision from grain to pellet
Once ingredients are received, the mill’s advanced automation and quality systems take over. The facility produces nine different feed formulations supporting every stage of poultry development — from pullet starter through broiler withdrawal.
“Our nutritionists determine the formulations based on ingredient costs and optimization of the birds’ genetic potential, as well as ingredient availability at this complex compared to other complexes,” Coffman said.
A CPM Beta Raven automation system — chosen for its decade of successful use at the former Danville mill — orchestrates feed manufacturing from receiving to final loadout.
“The old mill ran the first 45 years with a homemade system,” said Toby Tapp, Arkansas complex manager. “We upgraded about 10 years ago in the old mill,” making the transition to the new facility’s expanded capabilities more seamless for operators.
Quality assurance begins before ingredients enter the system. Incoming grain trucks are probed, visually inspected and analyzed in the receiving room.
“We look at the integrity of the ingredients as they come in,” Coffman said. “We test corn for various mycotoxins and aflatoxins to make sure we’re producing a high-quality feed for the birds’ needs.”
The QA manager uses a FOSS analyzer to measure protein and fat at the molecular level in soybean meal and other ingredients. For finished feed, a Holmen pellet durability tester quickly verifies pellet durability.
Grinding precision also plays a key role in feed performance. The mill’s 500-horsepower CPM hammer mill is paired with a variable frequency drive (VFD), allowing operators to fine-tune grind size for each formulation.
“It took some time in the beginning to test different screens and determine what megahertz to run the VFD for a particular grind, but once we found the right recipe of screens and settings, we were able to meet the specs for our breeder grind and broiler grind,” Coffman said.
The relationship between grind size, pellet durability index and bird performance creates a continuous feedback loop between nutritionists and mill operators, ensuring feed is optimized for flock health and efficiency.
Automated loadout streamlines deliveries
After feed production, the loadout process ensures consistent delivery to growers across the region. From six overhead storage bins, an automated trolley system transfers feed to trucks below. The CPM automation system manages the entire loadout sequence through sensors on the trolley and augers, filling feed into nine separate three-ton compartments based on dispatch requirements.
The system relies on precise weight calculations. Delivery trucks first cross the scale to record empty weight, then automation determines the exact amount of feed to load into each compartment.
With farms located within just a 38-mile radius, delivery logistics remain streamlined. Drivers receive printed tickets with GPS coordinates for each farm and the mill uses a combination of its own fleet and contract haulers through J.B. Hunt Transport Services, ensuring reliable feed delivery to 128 family farms.
The operation demonstrates how automation, accuracy and efficient logistics combine to maintain dependable feed supply across Wayne-Sanderson Farms’ grower network.
Economic impact for decades ahead
Kevin McDaniel, president and CEO of Wayne-Sanderson FarmsElise Schafer
Local grain sourcing further strengthens the regional agricultural economy, with the mill’s demand supporting crop producers within a 160-mile radius.
Together, the facility and its growers form a tightly connected agricultural ecosystem that underpins poultry production and rural livelihoods in the region.
Wayne-Sanderson Farms engineered the Danville feed mill to handle the location’s full production capacity for 30 to 40 years. Tapp expects the mill to be running at maximum output within a decade, while maintaining its level of quality and safety.
For the 128 family farms receiving its feed, the processors relying on consistent bird supply and the communities supported by $27.5 million in annual grower pay, the new feed mill represents Wayne-Sanderson Farms’ long-term commitment to the agricultural future of Arkansas’ River Valley.
