Kaylee Blackford, Lake Land College

​Hi! My name is Kaylee Blackford, and I am currently a sophomore at Lake Land College in
Mattoon, Illinois. There, I am studying in the Ag Transfer program as I pursue my Bachelors in
Animal Sciences. My goal is to work in animal nutrition at a feed mill, formulating rations for
farmers and serving as the middleman between the growers and the livestock producers. Today,
I was given the opportunity to shadow at Cissna Park Co-op under both Dan Martinek, the
General Manager, and Rowdy Murray, the Feed Mill Manager.
Cissna Park Co-op is both a grain elevator and a custom feed mill. Farmers can bring their grain
to sell at market prices or choose to hedge and store, like at many other facilities. This area is
Dan’s specialty, working with the farmers to help them make their contracts. As Cissna Park is a
co-op, each farmer has stock within the operation, which is overseen by a board of directors.
Besides the elevator, Cissna Park Co-op is also home to a custom feed mill. Built in the 1950s,
their daily goal is to produce twenty-five tons according to Rowdy. The process is still much the
same as it was back in the day. Operators weigh grains and supplements from bulk bins or bags
to add to the four-ton vertical mixer. Rowdy explained that as a local feed mill, they
accommodate the small farmers in the area, mixing feed for many species in a day from
pheasants and chickens to cattle and horses. A key piece to understand with this is the order to
mix rations, that “the previous batch must improve the next” as there is a small bit of
contamination between batches. Though it would be simpler to mix feed for specific species on
set days, they continue to mix a variety of rations each day to meet the demand of the locals,
some of whom have been getting their feed at Cissna Park Co-op for decades.
At the heart of their operations, Cissna Park Co-op is in the best interest of the people in their
community, as they proudly support their local FFA chapters and work hard to meet the needs of
those around them. The connections I made today are invaluable, and I hope to continue to
meet more great people through this scholarship opportunity.