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Shareholders Dave Gross, Linda Gross and Jeff Gross, of Montgomery County, look at a pellet mill machine during a tour on Sept. 27.
Country View Family Farms held a ribbon cutting ceremony and tour for the White Deer Feed Mill in New Columbia on Friday.
Russell Redding, the secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, was a guest speaker during the ribbon cutting ceremony for Country View Family Farms' White Deer Feed Mill in New Columbia on Friday.
Country View Family Farms held a ribbon cutting ceremony and tour for the White Deer Feed Mill in New Columbia on Friday.
Aaron Ott, president of Country View Family Farms; state Rep. Joe Hamm, R-84; and Sec. Russell Redding, state Department of Agriculture, discuss the opening of Country View Family Farms’ White Deer Feed Mill in New Columbia on Friday.
Aaron Ott, president of Country View Family Farms, cuts the ribbon for the White Deer Feed Mill in New Columbia on Friday. Pictured, from left to right, are Rob Jones, director of industrial development for Norfolk Southern Railroad; Lauren Bryson, executive director of Focus Central Pennsylvania; Amanda Barber, industrial development manager for Norfolk; Jennifer Wakeman, executive director for DRIVE; Jon Sargent, president/CEO of Todd & Sargent, Inc.; Mark Paul, vice president of supply chain operations at Country View; Eric Patton, vice president of growth and development for Country View; state Rep. Joe Hamm, R-84; state Sen. Gene Yaw, R-23; Ott; Russell Redding, secretary of the state Department of Agriculture; state Rep. Jamie Flick, R-83; Joe Kantz, business and development manager for North Shore Railroad; Rick Siger, the secretary of the state Department of Economic and Community Development; Bill Fink, the director of agriculture operations for Country View; and Todd Hunter, chief market officer for North Shore.
Shareholders Dave Gross, Linda Gross and Jeff Gross, of Montgomery County, look at a pellet mill machine during a tour on Sept. 27.
Country View Family Farms held a ribbon cutting ceremony and tour for the White Deer Feed Mill in New Columbia on Friday.
Russell Redding, the secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, was a guest speaker during the ribbon cutting ceremony for Country View Family Farms' White Deer Feed Mill in New Columbia on Friday.
Country View Family Farms held a ribbon cutting ceremony and tour for the White Deer Feed Mill in New Columbia on Friday.
Aaron Ott, president of Country View Family Farms; state Rep. Joe Hamm, R-84; and Sec. Russell Redding, state Department of Agriculture, discuss the opening of Country View Family Farms’ White Deer Feed Mill in New Columbia on Friday.
Aaron Ott, president of Country View Family Farms, cuts the ribbon for the White Deer Feed Mill in New Columbia on Friday. Pictured, from left to right, are Rob Jones, director of industrial development for Norfolk Southern Railroad; Lauren Bryson, executive director of Focus Central Pennsylvania; Amanda Barber, industrial development manager for Norfolk; Jennifer Wakeman, executive director for DRIVE; Jon Sargent, president/CEO of Todd & Sargent, Inc.; Mark Paul, vice president of supply chain operations at Country View; Eric Patton, vice president of growth and development for Country View; state Rep. Joe Hamm, R-84; state Sen. Gene Yaw, R-23; Ott; Russell Redding, secretary of the state Department of Agriculture; state Rep. Jamie Flick, R-83; Joe Kantz, business and development manager for North Shore Railroad; Rick Siger, the secretary of the state Department of Economic and Community Development; Bill Fink, the director of agriculture operations for Country View; and Todd Hunter, chief market officer for North Shore.
NEW COLUMBIA — The White Deer Feed Mill in Union County will start production with 51 employees in mid-October.
Country View Family Farms LLC, a Middletown-based hog procurement and production company owned by the Clemens Family Corporation, recently hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour of the $58 million feed mill expansion plant on a 100-plus acre, rail-served site at 2142 Old Route 15 in New Columbia to support its hog production business.
“This is a symbol,” Aaron Ott, president of Country View Family Farms, said. “This building is more than a building. This is really a symbol of our commitment to Pennsylvania agriculture. Excellence, growth, giving back to the communities.”
The original projection for the plant was $47.3 million, but the final price tag ended up being closer to $58 million, Ott said.
Friday marked nearly two years of development and construction. The 176-foot tall mill tower with a 3,582-square-foot base and the 56-foot-tall pelleting annex with a 2,016-square-foot base were constructed last year.With the capacity to produce 8,000 tons of feed weekly, the mill will support three-quarters of all Country View hogs across Pennsylvania, impacting nearly 975,000 hogs farm officials said.
The event brought out hundreds of local and state officials, shareholders, stakeholders, management and employees to witness the ribbon being cut, hear remarks, take a tour of the facility and take a trip on the rail line via train. Speakers included Ott, Mark Paul, vice president of supply chain operations at Country View; Russel Redding, Secretary of the state Department of Agriculture; state Rep. Joe Hamm, R-84; state Sen. Gene Yaw, R-23; Jon Sargent, CEO of project contractor Todd and Sargent; Joe Kantz, business and development manager of the North Shore Railroad Company; and Todd Hunter, chief marketing officer of North Shore Railroad Company.
“As we cut the ribbon here today, let it not represent just a building, brick and mortar or loop track around the field,” Ott said. “Let it represent the foundation of sustainable growth, not only for Country View and Clemens Food Group but for Pennsylvania agriculture for hopefully more than one generation.”
Ott said the jobs include local employees hired for drivers, mill operators and maintenance workers for three shifts over 24 hours a day, five days a week. The average delivery is within 50 miles.
“As our system grows, we hope to go to six days,” Ott said. “That will go from 8,000 tons a week to 10,000 tons a week.”
When completed and operational the feed mill will produce 8,000 tons of finished feed a week, which equals 416,000 tons of finished feed a year. The location will be used to support its hog production business, Ott said.
Reading said the vision of the White Deer Feed Mill was finally realized on Friday. It was made possible by many partnerships, he said.
“This land has now been transformed from a productive field to now part of the foundation of Pennsylvania agriculture and the foundation of this company,” Reading said. “That’s humbling.”
Reading thanked Clemens for its investment.
“We are a better state and a better industry because of the work of the Clemens Family and Country View Family Farms,” he said.
Department of Community and Economic Development Director Rick Siger called Friday “an exciting day” for Pennsylvania.
“Today is a big win for Union County, the region, and the entire commonwealth,” Siger said. “Agriculture and manufacturing are two of the five key industries the Shapiro administration is focusing on in Pennsylvania’s Economic Development Strategy. We’re doubling down on our efforts to strengthen these sectors and make Pennsylvania an economic powerhouse.”
Agriculture contributes $132.5 billion annually to Pennsylvania’s economy, and manufacturing, which accounts for more than $116 billion in gross state product. The industry is included in the five key industries highlighted in Gov. Josh Shapiro’s economic development strategy, Siger said.
Yaw reiterated the feed mill being a symbol of agriculture.
“This whole operation fits into what farming does and the importance of it to Pennsylvania,” Yaw said. “Today is a great day for agriculture in Pennsylvania and I’m very, very proud to be a part of it.”
The company received a funding proposal from the Department of Community and Economic Development for a $255,000 Pennsylvania First grant. The project was coordinated by the Governor’s Action Team, an experienced group of economic development professionals who work with businesses that are considering locating or expanding in Pennsylvania. Regional economic development organizations Drive and Focus Central PA were also involved in the project, working with local authorities and helping with site selection.
Based out of Middletown in Dauphin County, Country View Family Farms is a hog procurement and production company, managing over 100 family farms that are raising hogs under contract. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Clemens Family Corporation in Hatfield, Montgomery County.
The 176-foot tall mill tower is slightly smaller than the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy and…
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