CHAMBERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S. — Cargill announced on Sept. 3 that the company will rebuild its feed mill that was destroyed by a fire on Feb. 12. The mill, known as the Letterkenny Feed Depot, burned to the ground in the early morning hours that day. According to Cargill officials, the rebuild will include many upgrades to the mill's capabilities.

"While the physical damage to our Letterkenny mill last winter was severe, the event could not dissuade us from recognizing the tremendous loyalty shown by regional livestock producers for our products since the fire," said Rob Sheffer, regional general manager for Cargill Animal Nutrition. He noted that in spite of the fire, Cargill has maintained its entire customer base by providing service to Letterkenny customers via its other production facilities in Lebanon and Martinsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.

"Significant demand for quality feeds continues throughout this area," Sheffer said.

Construction of the new mill is expected to commence in September, with feed manufacturing production going online by next spring. The new mill will possess an annual production capacity in excess of 100,000 tons and be equipped with upgraded features, including a computerized batch-mixing system, and fully automated grinding and receiving systems. The facility also will have one of the most advanced short-mixing systems in the industry, featuring a computerized bar coding approach that tracks micro-ingredient levels used in preparing feed formulations.