Reuters — Ardent Mills will close three U.S. flour mills next month and a fourth in the first quarter of 2020, the flour miller and food ingredient maker announced Friday.
The company, a joint venture between ConAgra Foods, Cargill and CHS, said the closures were necessary due to “anticipated demand and to enhance the efficiency of the Ardent Mills network.”
Its Macon, Georgia; Loudonville, Ohio; and Red Lion, Pennsylvania mills will close by June 30, while its Rush City, Minnesota mill will be shuttered in the first quarter of 2020, the company said in a release.
Read Also
Feed Grains Weekly: Price likely to keep stepping back
As the harvest in southern Alberta presses on, a broker said that is one of the factors pulling feed prices lower in the region. Darcy Haley, vice-president of Ag Value Brokers in Lethbridge, added that lower cattle numbers in feedlots, plentiful amounts of grass for cattle to graze and a lacklustre export market also weighed on feed prices.
Ardent Mills did not specify how much capacity will be lost with the closures and did not provide details of any job losses at the mills.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for further comment. It said Friday it will “operate and invest in” its remaining 35 flour mills and bakery mix plants in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.
Ardent’s Canadian sites include mills at Saskatoon, Montreal and Mississauga and mix plants at Saskatoon and Burlington, Ont.
— Reporting for Reuters by Karl Plume in Chicago; includes files from Glacier FarmMedia Network staff.
