May 6, 2013
Indiana Soy Alliance to study profitability of soy fish feed production
A grant from the USDA was given to Indiana Soy Alliance to study whether a feed mill where soy could be turned into fish feed would be profitable.
Indiana Soy Alliance Aquaculture Director Shelia Lingle says soy is a good source of protein and is already grown in the state.
"Kind of the next step is seeing if we could have enough volume of fish to justify a feed mill because right now, most of our producers are having to ship their fish feeds in from Utah or Pennsylvania or down in Louisiana because that's where the aquaculture feed mills currently are," she says.
Lingle says it does not make sense for soy to be shipped off and made into fish feed only to be shipped right back into the state. She says transportation costs are expensive and that can really cut into some producers' budgets.
Mike Searcy started White Creek Farms of Indiana in Seymour two years ago. He says having locally produced feed would help his business expand more quickly.
The USDA grant for the feasibility study is only about US$15,000 with another US$15,000 matching from the Indiana Soy Alliance. But if the state wants to build the plant, it could then apply for another US$300,000 USDA grant for construction.