Sauder Feeds, Inc

Sauder Feeds, Inc. commemorated their 85th year of business with a company celebration on Saturday, June 18, 2005. Customers, community, and vendors were all invited to come and enjoy the day of celebration. Plans for this big event took shape in the cold winter months of early 2005. As the winter turned to spring, the mill was buzzing with spring clean-up. There was much to get done.

In the back office, many details needed to be considered and decisions made. From the rental of a tent and port-a-jons to the designing of billboards and invitations, every detail was planned. Every employee had an important part in making this day a big success. A decision was made to use a selection of foods representing a variety of the livestock raised by our customers. This included grilled duck breast, smoked pheasant, barbequed buffalo, venison sausage, pulled pork sandwiches, and everyone’s favorite, homemade ice cream cranked by a team of ponies! Since the event was in mid summer, the flat grain storage building was nearly empty and would make an excellent place to accommodate the main bustle of activity. All vendor booths, animal displays, the food line, and seating would be set up in this large building. Sauders would also have a booth in this building with nostalgia, door prizes, and handouts. A large tent for overflow seating would be located just outside the grain building with live music for entertainment. Horse drawn wagon rides would be given to all visitors as they came with tour guides to explain the different segments of the mill operation. Many commemorative items were purchased to give as gifts to our valued customers.

As the big event approached, excitement increased as well as cleaning and painting efforts. A stop at Sauders on any given day would find employees with paint brushes, brooms, and dusting rags. The entire staff of employees started to take ownership of a portion of the event. From the paint crew to the cleaning crew to the advertising crew and the food committee; all employees willingly worked to make this event a very special occasion. Many extra hours were required to organize and present a day full of fun and fellowship.

The night before the event was a work night for all. Sauders provided plenty of food and beverage as all worked to put the final touches on the cleaning and set up. All employees were given special anniversary shirts to wear on the celebration day. Special discounts were advertised and additional inventory was manufactured to cover the additional sales. Pictures were displayed showing the 85 years of history that was a part of Sauder Feeds, Inc. heritage. Hand outs and door prizes were arranged and packaged for the coming day’s event. Signs were hung to help eliminate confusion and offer information about the various animal, vendor, and customer displays.

The event day dawned with the sun peaking out from behind fluffy white clouds. The promise of a beautiful sunny day with a perfect temperature and low humidity added the final touch of perfection to our efforts. Although the event was to begin at 10:00, employees came early dressed in their 85th anniversary shirts, ready to celebrate this grand day with our guests. Final details were reviewed and addressed as the first guests arrived.

After guests were parked by our parking crew, they were directed to the welcome table where they signed in and registered for the door prizes. They were then escorted to one of three horse drawn wagons that gave a tour of the feed manufacturing plant as well as the surrounding buildings. The history of the mill was recapped briefly and the various processes of the mill were explained. The tour guides were none other than our own employees who not only had a script but also added their own knowledge to the tour. In addition little interesting “fun facts” were inserted as the tour progressed around the mill. Examples of fun facts included in the tour:

Sauder Feeds, Inc. sacked over 164,000 bags of feed last year!
Sauder Feeds, Inc. used 380 pounds of string last year in the sewing shut of feed bags; this equals 2,470,000 feet of string or 468 miles
Sauder Feeds, Inc. used more than 33,424 gallons of diesel fuel last year.
The tallest leg at the feed mill is 125 feet with 380 buckets.
75% of the feed that Sauder Feeds, Inc. produces is pelleted.
Sauder Feeds, Inc. feeds close to a ½ million ducks in a year.
Sauder Feeds, Inc. currently has more than 1450 feed formulas.
The average performance horse eats a ton of feed a year.
A hen requires 24 – 26 hours to produce one egg.
Sauder Feeds, Inc. sells more than 23,000 chicks a year.
The ingredient that is shipped the farthest for use in our feed manufacturing is Vitamin E which is shipped from China.
Sauder Feeds, Inc. ships to 22 states, the furthest away being California.
There are 56 pounds in a bushel of corn and 32 pounds in a bushel of oats.

After a brief tour, the horse drawn wagon stopped inside the main event building where the food, displays, and animals were all housed. All were invited to sample a variety of Sauder fed meats along with an array of side items. The guests also enjoyed reminiscing at the Sauder booth complete with historic pictures and a video of the mill reconstruction process after the fire of 1965. A variety of farm animals were on display including rabbits, ducks, chickens, goats, pot-bellied pigs, horses, llamas, a dog, calves, kittens, deer, elk, turkey, and everyone’s favorite, the braying donkey!

No one went away hungry or empty handed. Sauder’s 1920 original rulers with a 4 digit phone number were reproduced as a hand out to all who attended. Commemorative coffee mugs, pens, pencils, key chains, frisbees, pocket knives, and feed scoops were also distributed in thanks to our customers and community. Many visitors brought their own stories and memories to share with us. The mood was definitely one of celebration, thankfulness, and enjoyment. Sauders estimated that there would be around 600 guests at this event, but this count was doubled by the end of the day. Extra food was quickly pulled together to stretch the servings. Many visitors also shared in the 8.5% discount which was offered to all cash customers on the celebration day. The day was a grand success!

At the end of the day, we were all tired, but had a sense of a job well done. The employees had all pulled together and made this event a very special day in the history of Sauder Feeds, Inc. This news worthy milestone made several prominent publications such as Feedstuffs, The Farmer’s Exchange, The Farmers’ Advance, The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, NE Community Shopping, and our own East Allen Courier. The day will long be remembered for:

Good Times, Good Friends, Good Feed!