Forever Feed Technologies (FFT) has completed the FFT Innovation Center on River Ranch Farms in Hanford, California, housing the world’s largest automated sprouted-grain (FFT-ASG) feed mill.
The Innovation Center feed mill produces fresh ASG daily to supplement feed rations for dairy and beef cattle, using a small fraction of the water that’s needed for field-grown alfalfa. The FFT Innovation Center feed mill is the first phase of a commercial-scale version that is targeted to grow up to 50 tons of ASG per day, reducing on-farm risks due to droughts and severe weather conditions, and will move operators closer to their 2030 net-zero sustainability goals.
The design of the FFT Feed Mill began in 2022 when Forever Feed engaged JR Automation, a Hitachi Ltd. company, to integrate time-test material handling technology with FFT’s patent pending indoor growing protocols. The robust capabilities of material handling systems and FFT’s proprietary methods make the feed mill dependable enough to support the high demands of supplying fresh feed year-round on major dairy and beef operations.
“Completing the Innovation Center is a milestone that will enable us to refine the mechanical systems and protocols needed to build our larger commercial-scale feed mills,” said Jack de Jong, CEO of Forever Feed Technologies, and owner of River Ranch Farms. “Just one commercial-scale feed mill will add fresh feed to the daily diet of more than 2,500 dairy cows. Our plan is to start building these mills as early as this year.”
