My local feed mill

[jon f mn]

Any of you still have an old fashioned feed mill nearby? Mine is just a few miles away and has been there since the early 1900s some time, the Grasston coop feed mill.

Hasn't changed get much over the years other than a few steel bins. There used to be a creamery as well, but that was gone by the early 70s.
The office has most anything you need from boots and gloves to medicine.


That table is where all the older farmers sit Tuesday mornings drinking coffee and eating doughnuts. I can remember being there the day they switched out the cooler on the right and removed the upright that had the glass bottles yu pulled out. Back then you got a bottle of soda for a dime and could return the bottle for a nickle. Was a big deal to get to go with dad to the mill because many times he would get us a soda.

The whole mill still has the wooden floors.

The floors are well worn and shiny.

I wonder how many tons of feed have been rolled over those floors.

They even have the hoist in the pit used to dump trucks and wagons with no hoist an they still use it some times.

Every time I go there it brings back memories of going with dad.

 

[jon f mn]

Looks like the office pics didn't load.

 

[Brown David]

It's been years since I've been in an old feed mill.

Just looking at your pictures I can smell the pleasant aroma that used to be in the local mill. Long gone now.

 

[JMOR]

My Dad's feed mill burned down in early 50's. I well remember all the noise and plentiful supply of rats to use as targets for my & brother's pellet rifles. Fun times from long ago.

 

[chcase]

Looks like the office pics didn't load.View attachment 5317View attachment 5318

I do not have any pictures but worked at a family own feed mill,hardware store,fertilizer dealer,fuel delivery service all in one. We use to grind and hand bagged alot of feed each day. I remember one day that we never shut the hammermill all day. We changed the screens on the go. A few of us young guys would have a contest who could tie the most bags and load the farmers trucks the fastest. A very good reason I am hard of hearing and have breathing issues now. My jokes about how my cattle wanted to follow me with all the feed dust on me at the end of the day doing chores.

 

[jon f mn]

I do not have any pictures but worked at a family own feed mill,hardware store,fertilizer dealer,fuel delivery service all in one. We use to grind and hand bagged alot of feed each day. I remember one day that we never shut the hammermill all day. We changed the screens on the go. A few of us young guys would have a contest who could tie the most bags and load the farmers trucks the fastest. A very good reason I am hard of hearing and have breathing issues now. My jokes about how my cattle wanted to follow me with all the feed dust on me at the end of the day doing chores.

My first job was at the Braham feed mill about 5 miles from this one. Bagged amny tons of feed and loaded it into farmers pickups. Also bagged even more tons of bagged fertilizer during the winter as well.

 

[Tony in SD]

Not any more. The last so called feed mill i was in did not mill anything. They just sold feed in bags.

 

[Loosehandle]

Nope closed and torn down, even all the big elevators are owned by the same conglomerate now.

 

[Charlie M]

I worked in an old mill in the early 70's. Still sold a lot of 100 lb bagged feed and 80 lb fertilizer, none that was never handled by a fork lift. None of them around here any more. Place I pick up feed from had a small grinding operation but stopped doing it due to high worker comp insurance cost and not much demand.

 

[Janicholson]

Looks like the office pics didn't load.View attachment 5317View attachment 5318

Memories of Gust's Elevator in Westville IN. with Pocagen Cream Soda in the Coke Machine. Woof. Jim

 

[Bob Bancroft]

Any of you still have an old fashioned feed mill nearby? Mine is just a few miles away and has been there since the early 1900s some time, the Grasston coop feed mill.

View attachment 5306


Hasn't changed get much over the years other than a few steel bins. There used to be a creamery as well, but that was gone by the early 70s.
The office has most anything you need from boots and gloves to medicine.


That table is where all the older farmers sit Tuesday mornings drinking coffee and eating doughnuts. I can remember being there the day they switched out the cooler on the right and removed the upright that had the glass bottles yu pulled out. Back then you got a bottle of soda for a dime and could return the bottle for a nickle. Was a big deal to get to go with dad to the mill because many times he would get us a soda.

The whole mill still has the wooden floors.

View attachment 5312

The floors are well worn and shiny.

View attachment 5315

I wonder how many tons of feed have been rolled over those floors.

They even have the hoist in the pit used to dump trucks and wagons with no hoist an they still use it some times.
View attachment 5316

Every time I go there it brings back memories of going with dad.

I still deliver my corn to an independent mill 60 miles south of here in the "southern tier", near the NY/PA state line. They still deliver bulk feed, but make their profit on lots of bagged feed, and a huge store front goods business.

 

[john in la]

Our local feed mill is now a dog and horse store.
You can still buy feed but it is all pre packaged bags.
They no longer mix and bag their own feed or sell it in bulk.
Still better than TSC because you can buy rabies and other shots or medicine.
They even still sell seed by the pound out of a mayo jar.

We still have 2 co op stores both at the other end of the parish (county)
One sells mostly fertilizer and the other feed in bulk.
I go up there once every few years and get a ton of lime in my pickup.

 

[J.Wondergem]

Kinda reminds me of the one I went to with Dad back in the 50's. That one is closed now.

 

[MARK ROBKE]

Any of you still have an old fashioned feed mill nearby? Mine is just a few miles away and has been there since the early 1900s some time, the Grasston coop feed mill.

View attachment 5306


Hasn't changed get much over the years other than a few steel bins. There used to be a creamery as well, but that was gone by the early 70s.
The office has most anything you need from boots and gloves to medicine.


That table is where all the older farmers sit Tuesday mornings drinking coffee and eating doughnuts. I can remember being there the day they switched out the cooler on the right and removed the upright that had the glass bottles yu pulled out. Back then you got a bottle of soda for a dime and could return the bottle for a nickle. Was a big deal to get to go with dad to the mill because many times he would get us a soda.

The whole mill still has the wooden floors.

View attachment 5312

The floors are well worn and shiny.

View attachment 5315

I wonder how many tons of feed have been rolled over those floors.

They even have the hoist in the pit used to dump trucks and wagons with no hoist an they still use it some times.
View attachment 5316

Every time I go there it brings back memories of going with dad.

Boy- that is very similar to the one I go to here in Bracken County, KY! They don't have much bin storage, but the wood floor is way more worn form feed sacks being drug over it. They sell bulk and bagged feed. In the other end of our county (that only sold bagged feed and fertilizer) is another store, but he is all but closed up. Both stores were affiliated with Southern States, and the one used to be an IH dealer. He mostly does repair work now. Tobacco was king around here and that led to a lot of fertilizer sales, but those days are mostly gone. Now mostly only beef, and 2 dairies. And we are a small county. Mark.

 

[RESLLS]

Johnson elevator in Clare Mi. I'm sure rrlund has been there. Sell pretty much anything farm related too. Used to have a wood fired peanut roaster in the store.

 

[RBnWA]

Looks like the office pics didn't load.View attachment 5317View attachment 5318

Oh Jon the memories of West Alex. grain and coal. Hook a wagon to the MM Z or 77 Ollie. Load ear corn on the wagon plus a stack of burlap sacks and head to town. Southwest Ohio. RB

 

[wjytexas]

Any of you still have an old fashioned feed mill nearby? Mine is just a few miles away and has been there since the early 1900s some time, the Grasston coop feed mill.

View attachment 5306


Hasn't changed get much over the years other than a few steel bins. There used to be a creamery as well, but that was gone by the early 70s.
The office has most anything you need from boots and gloves to medicine.


That table is where all the older farmers sit Tuesday mornings drinking coffee and eating doughnuts. I can remember being there the day they switched out the cooler on the right and removed the upright that had the glass bottles yu pulled out. Back then you got a bottle of soda for a dime and could return the bottle for a nickle. Was a big deal to get to go with dad to the mill because many times he would get us a soda.

The whole mill still has the wooden floors.

View attachment 5312

The floors are well worn and shiny.

View attachment 5315

I wonder how many tons of feed have been rolled over those floors.

They even have the hoist in the pit used to dump trucks and wagons with no hoist an they still use it some times.
View attachment 5316

Every time I go there it brings back memories of going with dad.

There was a Farmer's CO-OP and a family owned cotton gin and feed mill in my hometown. I'd get feed mixed for my show calves alternating between the 2 each year since my Dad was the Ag teacher. At the CO-OP there was a fellow, a friend of ours, who had only his thumb and little finger on his right hand. He could fill a burlap feed sack and tie it quicker than most folks with all their fingers.

 

[Pete-IN]

There are a handful of those small feed mills scattered around the Amish area in LaGrange county Indiana. Owned by the Amish folks and you will see lots of horse and wagon guys doing business at them.

 

[dcarp]

Any of you still have an old fashioned feed mill nearby? Mine is just a few miles away and has been there since the early 1900s some time, the Grasston coop feed mill.

View attachment 5306


Hasn't changed get much over the years other than a few steel bins. There used to be a creamery as well, but that was gone by the early 70s.
The office has most anything you need from boots and gloves to medicine.


That table is where all the older farmers sit Tuesday mornings drinking coffee and eating doughnuts. I can remember being there the day they switched out the cooler on the right and removed the upright that had the glass bottles yu pulled out. Back then you got a bottle of soda for a dime and could return the bottle for a nickle. Was a big deal to get to go with dad to the mill because many times he would get us a soda.

The whole mill still has the wooden floors.

View attachment 5312

The floors are well worn and shiny.

View attachment 5315

I wonder how many tons of feed have been rolled over those floors.

They even have the hoist in the pit used to dump trucks and wagons with no hoist an they still use it some times.
View attachment 5316

Every time I go there it brings back memories of going with dad.

Used to play in a feed mill across the street from my Aunt’s house in Sidney Center, NY.
It had those polished wood ramps to unload sacks of feed from the railroad cars on the tracks right next to it. Another boy my age lived up the street and he & I would slide down the ramps. Also would push each other around on the feed sack dollies ( now called hand trucks). Great fun.

 

[Buckhammer]

Westphalia, Fowler and Carson City MI all have one.