First-Of-Its-Kind Feed Mill Turns Corn Into Powder

First-Of-Its-Kind Feed Mill Turns Corn Into Powder LIVESTOCK Feeding Equipment 34-3-30 "My new rotary mill is designed to turn corn into a powdery product that's highly digestible for dairy and beef animals. It works faster than conventional roller mills and hammer mills. I think it could make them obsolete," says 25-year-old Nathan Braunschweig, Lomira, Wis. The rotary mill is belt-driven off a 10 hp electric motor and has no rollers, hammers or screens. Instead, it uses a high rpm open cylinder set inside a drum. The cylinder is equipped with 6 welded-on, staggered shear bars that chop up the corn. A control plate is used to control the rate at which corn enters the machine. The ground-up material comes out a bottom port where you hook up an auger. "It represents an entirely new way of grinding corn. The key feature is there are no pinch points like there are on conventional roller or hammer mills, which causes them to wear out faster," says Braunschweig. "It turns dry shelled corn into a powder, and high moisture corn into a cake mix that's highly digestible and will help you get the most from your feed. Hammer mills are designed to granulate the corn and turn it into a smaller grain, whereas my rotary mill turns corn into powder. When you look at the ground-up feed you won't find any kernels, just the germ of the seed. The more you fill the machine, the finer the feed gets." The machine works fast, says Braunschweig. "It'll grind 1,300 lbs. of corn in just 5 min. It takes only 8 min. to process enough corn for an average-sized TMR mixer. And with no screens it'll never clog up, no matter how wet the corn is." Braunschweig says he got the idea from a friend who needed a better way to grind corn. "I started working on the idea a couple years ago and have gone through four prototypes, making improvements along the way. All the farmers who bought them are experiencing higher milk production. "It's built tough because I wanted it to handle anything that can be put into a silo, including foreign objects. The cylinder is built from 1/2-in. thick steel and the drum from 3/16-in. thick steel." Models with 2, 3 and 4-ft. long drums are available. The 2-ft. model sells for $3,500. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Nathan Braunschweig, W183 Super Drive, Lomira, Wis. 53048 (ph 920 904-0993).

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