Key facts
- Star of the West Corn Milling LLC received a $450,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
- The grant will fund the construction of a new dry corn mill in Quincy, Michigan.
- The project involves demolishing existing structures and building a new mill, warehouse, and office facilities.
- The new mill is expected to create 17 new jobs.
- The facility will process over 5 million bushels of Michigan-grown corn in its first year, increasing to over 6.7 million bushels annually.
- Michigan currently has no corn mills despite producing over 340 million bushels of corn annually.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), through its Food and Agriculture Investment Program (FAIP), has awarded a $450,000 grant to Star of the West Corn Milling LLC. This funding will support a significant $79 million project to construct a new, state-of-the-art dry corn mill in Quincy, Michigan.
The project entails the demolition of existing decommissioned mill structures and the construction of a six-story mill building, a warehouse and packaging area, a feed loadout structure, and an employee relief and office building. The new facility will incorporate advanced automation technology and modernization processes.
This investment is expected to create 17 new jobs and strengthen the company's corn milling operations by expanding processing capacity for Michigan-grown food-grade corn. In its first year of operation, the mill is projected to add value to over 5 million bushels of corn produced in the state, with annual processing expected to reach more than 6.7 million bushels by year five. This initiative is particularly notable as Michigan produces over 340 million bushels of corn annually but currently lacks any corn mills, meaning this project will provide a crucial new market for local farmers.
Star of the West, founded in 1870 and headquartered in Frankenmuth, Michigan, is a major player in the flour, dry edible bean, food-grade soybean, and wheat flake markets. The company operates four mills across four states, over 30 elevators, and five bean processing facilities, ranking as the 10th largest miller in the United States. The FAIP grant program aims to support projects that expand food and agricultural processing, foster industry growth, and bolster Michigan's economy.