For many years now, people have taken greater care of what food they eat as they strive for greater longevity in their lives, by trying to stay as healthy as possible.
The same can now be said for livestock as farmers are taking far more care in what they feed their animals on a daily basis.
The process of getting the right blend of feed for your livestock has become a lot more scientific and it can be a complex procedure.
That is why for this month’s edition of Irish Tractor & Agri, we profile the renowned Strabane Mills Ltd who provides many of its coarse rations to a large customer base throughout the 32 counties and mainland UK.
Managing Director Tim Traill rebranded the company 12 years ago, but under the previous name of ‘Robert Smyth & Sons Strabane Ltd’ the family run business ran for 135 years.
To say they are the most experienced company in their field of expertise, would be a huge understatement as they have been supplying their large customer base with their wide variety of cooked coarse rations for well over a century now.
Initially, Oatmeal was processed at the plant, but the company was never afraid to move with the times and despite never expanding beyond their reach, the business has continued to evolve.
When Tim took over, the mill was located in Strabane town centre, then 12 years ago, they relocated to a new site and built a new mill.
“We have invested a lot of money into the business over the years, but we are aware of the need to do so in order to progress to the next level,” said Tim.
The raw cereals are steam cooked then rolled and flaked. The process improves the taste, texture and visual appeal making it attractive to livestock; it also improves the digestibility of the finished feed thus enhancing the nutritional value in the diet.
“Our coarse mixing plant has been designed to preserve the cooked flakes in the mixing process in order to produce bespoke high quality coarse rations for all livestock sectors. These products are sold both under our own label, and as customer labelled products.
“We have been manufacturing flaked cereals for over 65 years but we’ve recently recognised the demand for a superior form of flake to be introduced into the increasingly varied blends and mixes of animal feed production. Since then we have focussed our resources on refining the flaking process of Barley, Maize and Peas to make it ideal for our customer’s needs.
“Through research based investment, we have built a state of the art flaking plant where application of the latest techniques has resulted in a product of the highest quality. We are now the only mill exclusively dedicated to steam cooked flaking in Ireland.
“As the reputation of our product has spread, our business has increased throughout the whole country and we are now proud to supply the majority of merchants and other feed mills in Northern Ireland and plus a large proportion in Southern Ireland too.”
“We produce 120 tonnes of flaked cereals per day. The craft involved in producing quality cooked flakes is time intensive and involves 24 hour production. For this reason nine years ago, we invested in a biomass boiler and this allows us to carry out the entire process in a greener environment, which is very important these days.”
Animal feeds require a proper balance between cereals (carbohydrates) and higher protein feeds; they must also contain sufficient amounts of necessary minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients.
Maize is especially useful in high-energy feeds, either as meal or as the flaked and partly gelatinized product. Barley is desirable for fattening, and Peas are high in starch and sugars which make them attractive in animal feed and provide a better balanced feed for livestock. If farm animals did not have the proper cereals and nutrients in their diet, then their protein levels in the human food chain would be greatly reduced; so it is in our own best interests to ensure the highest quality of feed available goes to our livestock.
“We produce a special range of cooked coarse rations which are used by farmers who have ‘Show’ cattle and sheep. This is a quality product used in the high end of the market.”
Of course, during the summer months when cattle and sheep are out grazing, it is a quiet time for Strabane Mills Ltd, but Tim revealed that they cover another section of the feed market that has really taken off.
“We produce steam cooked flakes for use in pet food. Cereals are steam cooked then rolled and flaked. This process improves the taste, texture and visual appeal to provide highly digestible natural nutrients. Steam cooked flakes are popular in premium canine diets as they provide an excellent natural alternative to traditional coloured extrusions.”
Tim concluded: “Ours is a very labour intensive business, but we firmly believe in quality over quantity and feel this is why we have sustained continued success in the market.”
Strabane Mills Ltd
3 Art Road
Artigarvan
County Tyrone
BT82 0HA
Tel: 02871883671
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 10, November 2015
