ADM Milling, now in its 24th year of milling flour in Enid, continues to capitalize on Enid’s role as a processing hub for the region’s wheat harvest.

ADM purchased its Enid mill from Pillsbury in 1993. About 70 employees at the mill grind wheat into bread flour and all-purpose flour for shipment to bakeries and retail stores. The flour is used in cakes, pie crusts, breading, snack cakes, breads and tortillas, according to ADM information.

John Dick, commercial manager at ADM Milling, said the mill can produce 18,000 hundredweight — 1.8 million pounds — of flour each day. The facility also has a 2.5 million bushel elevator for processing storage.

 Dick said the mill is ideally situated to take advantage of Enid’s geographic location and historic role as a hub for wheat shipping.

“Enid is a good wheat producing region for Oklahoma and throughout the United States,” Dick said. “With lower commodity prices, the mill is a great outlet for producers to sell or market their wheat if they’re producing good quality, millable wheat. And, typically, the mill will pay a premium over other outlets. Geographically we are situated with good origination and outbound logistics, where we can be competitive in multiple markets.”

The Enid mill fits into a much larger network of ADM mills and production sites. ADM’s domestic operations include more than 160 ingredient manufacturing facilities and more than 300 crop procurement facilities — including grain elevators, ports and shipping terminals used to store both raw materials and finished products — spread across 29 states, according to the company’s website. Worldwide, ADM reports having more than 32,000 employees serving customers in more than 160 countries, and production assets that include 500 crop procurement locations and 250 ingredient manufacturing facilities.

Where the Enid mill fits into that network in the future may depend on how the company tackles upgrading or modernizing the facility.

“Our flour mill in Enid is an older facility, as it was built in 1928,” said Jackie Anderson, ADM representative. “We are continuing to evaluate options to address improvements that need to be made in the mill’s infrastructure. This process is ongoing; we’ll share more details at the appropriate time.”

Anderson declined to comment further on what upgrades may be required and what plans ADM has to make those upgrades.

Aside from its employment opportunities and tax production, Anderson said ADM gives back to the Enid community through ADM Cares grants.

ADM Cares is a social investment program that funds initiatives and organizations that “drive meaningful social, economic and environmental progress worldwide,” according to information provided by Anderson.

The program focuses on three areas: supporting the responsible development of agriculture, improving the quality of life in ADM communities and fostering employee giving and volunteer activities.

Anderson said ADM Cares grants have supported a variety of local projects, including the Back a Youth program at Denny Price Family YMCA, construction of the fire training tower at Autry Technology Center and the city of Enid trails system.

Dick said he enjoys being a part of ADM’s presence in Enid — both in flour production and charitable endeavors.

“Enid is just, in my opinion, a great community,” Dick said. “Ever since I moved here, we’ve enjoyed it. Overall it’s a good community and a good geographic location to be operating in.”

Story provided by:  Enid News & Eagle
Written by:  James Neal