Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 35, Number 66, Decatur, Adams County, 18 March 1937 — Page 11

MGEBNS fc'fflEßS I® BEGUN Li Sova Mills Are ■ foop frat,nK urii* l 8r.,.1 the Central Soya Co. ■ |) W. M' Millen ■SX«. "■■■ ‘"' d ,o marj ; ■*’ ,■,ll and soybean oil R’Zake ‘be most effective the soybean oil men ■Larts from the Centra K/Mr McMillen organized t' feed Mills in January Kme manufacture of Mas■s reeds Both concerns have E important factors in the End and industrial life of ■■Hsity. ar e hy no means a new K, v have been grown in the ■ tor ,lose to three thousand Kbit they were not introducE America until the early K the nineteenth century. ■ fW regarded as something ■(jriosity and were not considKm important crop unt.il re|p»rs. |bi' only been since the days ■eWorld War that soybeans Jbwi grown in quantities as fen crop. Prior to this soyL. grown largely for hay Ernrare but as processing Kwre built in different secEfthe country the demand for | increased with astonishing I hoi! has led the nation in the gtion of soybeans. Indiana lotond in 1936 and 1934 but! ■bed second place in bean ’ ituon to lowa in 1935. The al Soya Co. plant has a ca- ■ (of T. 500 bushels of beans a nd crushes more beans in a I (than the company has yet' table to buy in Indiana. The leoncern has been obliged to hit Illinois and into the open Ak to purchase beans from all tie sources of supply to keep petition. Bring High Prices t prices of soybeans are conid by the demand for soy oil •ybean oil meal. Beans are K now and every present info points to probable maintt of high prices for some'

'[fpLANTq EXPAND RAPIDLY* For many years nationally ( ' prominent in the fievd business | I | Mr. McMillen established the | j Central Sugar Co. laere in 1933. | II His methods found favor with | | the farming population und | prompted him to street the j Central Soya Co. soybean pro- | cessing plant here in the full | of 1934. In January of 1J135 .Me- | Millen Feed Mills was establish- | to manufacture MASTEIi MIX | Feeds, the associated coinpan- j les working in close harmony | i provide a market for lortally ; grown sugar beets and soybrams | und in return furnish high qizal- j | ity feeds and Sparkling Crysta l | White Sugar on an economical | | basis. i* ~ . years to come even it the crop is j much larger this season. Several of the processing plants in other sections of the country are closed because of their inability to get , beans. In addition to the Central Soya Co. there are processing plants in Circleville, O„ Marlon. ()., Toledo. Cincinnati, Louisville, Evansville, laifayette and Marion. Ind. all of whom buy beans in Indiana. With this demand increasing continually it is easy to see that soybeans will remain an important cash crop for Indiana farmers for some time to come. When the local plant began operations expeller unfis were regarded as the most satisfactory method of extracting oil from the, beans. Six of these expellees were installed and have been in virtually constant operation ever since. They have been augmented by six more expellers of the most modern type bringing the battery up to twelve which are kept turning day I and night with the exception of an occasional cleaning and mechanical overhauling. | Improvements anti refinements ' are being made continually so that the plant is in as nearly top-notch condition as good engineering and I careful supervision can make it. j Last fall ten new storage bins ' and a new workhouse were added \ to the property so that now these 1 110 feet tall containers have raised the storage capacity of the company to one million bushels of beans. Soy oil is used in edible fats, soap, paint, salad dressing, printers ink and many other forms. The soybean oil meal is an important ingredient in livestock and poultry feeds. It is used for plastics, rubber substitutes, special diabetic flour and in numerous other ways.

WWt WX \ fVR The Progress 'U 1 of Civilization ... is measured by its roads, bridges and buildings . . . fields in which our organization has specialized. Some of our larger recent projects arePower Plant at Portland, now under construction. Foundation for machinery for the city of Decatur light and power plant improvement. Bridges on state road 527. Schurger bridge on U. S. road 224. I J| Dierkes garage.

YOST BROTHERS ( « CAL YOST General Contractors - Decatur ATTOS YOST

, Research chemists are continually! seeking new uses for this remark-] | able magic plant from the Orient | and as the demand continues to | increase for all of these products] j so does the demand for beans. Ind i . iana is a long way from the satur- | atlon point In soybean production! | and Hoosier farmers have u great i | opportunity before them to grow | this sturdy insect resistant legumI es as a highly profitable cash crop. I Agricultural experiment stations ; have long been enthusiastic about ' soybean oil meal as a source of ■ easily digestible protein. They rec--1 Otnmend It freely When supplemented with the proper minerals for the feeding of livestock and poultry. Mr. McMillen recognized this important fact and saw a real opportunity to supply farmers and feed , ers of this area with exceptionally i fine feeds at low cost. His long experience as a feed .manufacturer prompted him to I establish McMillen Feed Mills for, making Master Mix Feeds. As one kra-n observer phrased it. “The old mooter is truly a master mixer and he lias picked just the right name for bls product" Mr. McMillen was keenly aware of changing conditions in the feed industry. He saw that the time was opportune to bring out a variety of concentrates that farmers and ' feeders can mix with their own 1 home-grown grains and still have a scientifically balanced ration at ■ a very moderate cost. His judgment was amply vindi- ■ cated by the justifiable popularity ~which Master Mix Feeds have at■jtained. | A new feed plant was erected at the east side of the soybean proI cessing unit and is thoroughly modern in every respect. It han the 1 very latest automatic devices for mixing and measuring feed, high speed conveyors move ingredients and loaded bags with uncanny skill I and efficiency and every item In the , building is designed for maximum results with minimum delay. i Master Mix Feeds are sold in I eight states by an ever-increasing! ■ number of alert feed dealers who i are quick to recognize the opporI tunity given them for merchandis--1 ing high quality feeds and concentrates on a truly economical basis. McMillen Feed Mills and the Central Soya Co. are important units in Mr. McMillen’s group of industries here. They have given employment to scores of workers, provide the farmer with another market for his products and in return offer him the highest quality' feeds made from his own products' i at a fair market price. 1

Our gravel plant located north of Decatur has an annual capacity of 50,000 tons.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 1937.

SUGAR REFINERY | IS GOOD MARKET FOR LOCAL BEETS 25 Million Pounds Os Sugar Refined From Area’s Crops Enjoying the distinction of be-] • ing Indiana's only sugar refinery, - the Central Sugar Co. holds a un fque position in Hoosier agrlcul- • ture. It supplies the connecting ■ link between beet growers In some ; ten counties around Decatur and ' the housewives who take pride in! using Sparkling Crystal White I Sugar made from these beats. ,1 The local refinery was original-; ■j ly built by the Holland St. Louis Sugar Co. in 1912 but had been, 1 closed for several years prior to 1933 when Mr. D. W. McMillen of , Fort Wayne formed the Central Sugar Co. and acquired the prop- , erty. This was at a time when busI iness and agriculture was at a low , ebb and only Mr. McMillen's daunt- , less faith in the ultimate soundI ness of the American farm and t American institutions prompted , him to make a very considerable investment in the sugar plant. , A sum almost equal to the purchase price was expended in mod ! , ernlzing the refinery and bringing its equipment up to the minute. A new beet storage yard was built and is today regarded as a model of excellence by all sugar processors. Farmers in this area responded with eager confidence in the new project and in the first year of Mr. I McMillen's operation of the plant I I all the acreage deemed advisable was rapidly contracted for. A cooperative plan under which the 1 farmers were paid a proportion of every net dollar received from the 1 sale of sugar was adopted and has ’.proven conspicuously successful. 1 The Central Beet Growers Asso- • elation composed of some 1,500 ■ farmers in this locality was form- ■ ed by men interested in growing' • beets and works in close co-opera-] tion with the sugar company. Farm-, > ers who have suitable land for; ■ growing beets have found them a ■ highly profitable-crop. Sugar beets are definitely a non- ’ , surplus crop whose price is not: • affected by increased acreage or, - over production. The continental j J United States produces less than, Jone-fourth of the sugar it consum-' i es and the Central Sugar Company

'refines only about one-tenth of the' | sugar used In Indiana. | In view of this condition there, 'ls ample opportunity for farmers; | to grow all the sugar beets theyj care to without auy possibility of depressing prices as does occur ''when surplus crops like corn and | wheat are over-produced. For a five year average sugar j beets have shown a gross return ’tof 154.12 per acre while the next best paying crop has been corn averaging $16.25 per acre for the same period while wheat has paid; only $12.36. •| In addition to this profitable] /cash return, sugar beets fit excep-i tionally well into the farm rotation] 'program and are very good soil;, ] oui.dlng crop. Sugar beet roots ex-]: 'i tend seven to eight feet Into the’ ' ground and when the beets are/ : harvested the rodts remain In the;, ‘ soil, loosening the ground and add-] ',ing valuable humus. Crops whi/.i I follow sugar beets show an increased yield conservatively estimated I ] at fifteen percent. i / Beet tops have a livestock feed- 1 - ing value of $6 to $7 per acre and [ beet culture tends to improve ftirm-ll ing practices by destroying weeds 1 and eliminating insect pests. For ' , reasons such as these farmers who ' have groV’n them know it pays to ' grow sugar beets. |' The Central Sugar Co. plans to 1 I have close to 15.000 acres of beets i raised this season. From this crop ( approximately twenty-five million 1 . pounds of sugar will be produced. ' .] The Central Sugar Co. refinery ; operates for about twelve weeks , each fall with operations beginning the latter part of September or earI ly in October depending upon the,' . growing season and the harvesting of the beets. From then until the i [ crop is exhausted the factory runs/ r twenty-four hours a day. Close toj 400 persons are employed and as'. : it is estimated that eight hours ofi ■ employment are required for each . 100 lbs. of sugar produced this i means that about two million hours f of work are provided for people in j ■ the Decatur area during the opera-; i tions of the refinery. Modern truck dumping equip-! • ment enables farmers to deliver I their beets rapidly and without de-i -, lay. One day last season 620 trucks ; 1 were unloaded and beets stored in .'the large yard which has a capacity of 12,000 tons. ■ As they are needed to maintain .' continuous operations the beets I are sluiced into the plant where ! they are thoroughly washed and 'sliced into long strips called coss- | •, etts. These cossettes are soaked in I; water until their sugar content ,' passes into solution. The residue • | is dried and is known as dried beet ■ pulp, a valuable ingredient in live- I

We invite you to inspect the basements, foundations and cisterns for the three new FHA houses being constructed by Jess Rice on North Second street.

! stock and dairy feeds. The solution containing the sug ; ar is filtered und purified. Then it ;is boiled under decreasing utmos | pherie pressure until sugar cry stale are formed and the uncrystul ized solution or molasses is sepur ! uted by means of a centrlflcal de vice which whirls the molasses through a screen which retains the augur. The sugar is washed, dried und the glistening pure crystals packed in bags bearing the tirade mark name of “Sparkling Crystul I White Sugar” and it is ready for discriminating housewives of IndI iana and nearby Ohio communities. Farmers will have un added in-; | centive to grow beets this season < las legislation has been introduced ]in Congress calling for an excise ] tax on sugar und In return beet ; growers will get $2.00 to $2.25 an I acre benefit payments for growJ ing beets. Although this law has ; not been enacted us yet officials of 1 the sugar company declare that they believe this bill or one similar to it will be passed by the present session of Congress. When the bill becomes a law, payments will be made and beet growing permitted on an allottment basis. Each funner will probably be allowed to grow a certain acreage of beets and receive payments based on the beet acreage he had this year. So with this in prospect many farmers will want to grow as many beets as possible so tliat their allotment from the government will be at a maximum. o DECATUR CHAMBER (CONTINUED FROM PAGE NINE) tur is one of the heaviest shipping ■points on their lines. Tons of products pane through the city daily on the main highways-

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BEET GROWERS ] ARE ORGANIZED — ——a I Association Formed For Benefit Os Farmers In Territory ’ The Central Beet- Growers Asso- ! elation, Inc. was organized October 16, 1934 at a mass meeting of; approximately 1500 beet growers who met in Decatur for the pur-; ' I pone of organizing a grower asso-; ' elation. Articles of Incorporation 1 and by laws provide that each farm-] er who contracts to grow beets tor the Central Sugar Company auto--1 matlcally becomes a member of ' the Central Beet Growers Associ-; ' ation. Sugar beets are contracted for, and grown under u cooperative con-' tract, which provides for the grower to raise the crop of beets and deliver them to the factory yards. The company then processes them into sugar, pulp, and molasses, and when these products are sold the money is divided between the ' growers and the sugar company. The amount of money received by the growers per ton of beets depends directly on the price paid by the consumers for the products manufactured from the beets. In ’ view of this crop arrangement be- ' tween the growers and the sugar company, it appeared highly desirable for the growers to have an association of their own which would represent their interests and enable the growers to do their part in developing and improving the beet sugar industry in the Decatur district.

D. W. McMillen Welcomes Gov. Townsend To Decatur’s Agricultural Industries “Governor Townsend may 1 take this method of publically expressing my gratitude for your visit to Decatur and to our industrial plants. lam proud to have had the opportunity of showing you what is being done to co-ordinate relations between agricultural and industrial interests in this community. I trust our efforts have met with your approval and I can pledge our continued interest in the betterment and,welfare of the farmer and the employe.”

In order to give each group of sugar beet growers an opportunity to elect their own directors for the association, the growers were divided Into nine districts and each lof these districts are Entitled to ; <»ne member on the Board of Dtrec'tors. Busche Is President Mr. E. W. Busche, one of Indiana's Master Farmers, who lives at Monroe, Indiana, was elected president of the association at the first meeting of the Board of Directors. Mr. Busche has continued to serve the association in this capacity since its organization. Mr. Martin Etzler of Convoy, Ohio is vice-president,'and Mr. Allen Lornont of New Haven, Indiana Is sec-retary-treasurer. The other directors are G. C. Caley, 1-eßoy Fifer, George Wallenhorst, Clyde Schultz, I F. D. Morris and Ernest Knoblauch. | TTIe beet growers association has ■'been very active In building up ' the beet sugar industry in the twelve counties which grow beets for the Central Sugar Company. . Four times each year the Board of . Directors meet with the officials , of the sugar company and discuss • various problems of interest to ■ both the company and the beet , growers. ■I As a result of this new partnership idea in the growing and processing of sud7r beets there has , developed a fine spirit of cooperai tion between the sugar company ■ and the 1500-1600 growers who an- • nually produce the beets necessary ■ to provide the factory with a run each fall. The beet growers in the i Decatur district are proud of the , association's activities, and they feel that the growers problems ■ have been handled in an excellent manner by the officers of their association.