The Sanders family, which has been running Oglethorpe Feed and Hardware Supply since 1998, introduced a towering addition to their business this summer: a 125-foot-tall grain elevator.
The system, which became operational in mid-July, cost an estimated $400,000-$500,000 to complete, but has since delivered promising results.
“It’s done everything we wanted it to do,” Stewart Sanders said.
Stewart runs the business with his father, Danny, and brother, Hudson, operating the only feed store in a county that ranks third in the state for agricultural products.
The store cycles through up to 25,000 tons of feed a year, so the grain elevator was meant to improve efficiency and allow the business to expand its grain delivery operation to new locations, they told The Oglethorpe Echo in July.
Before installing the structure, unloading feed ingredients and mixing them took 45 minutes to an hour. That’s since been reduced to 9-12 minutes, Stewart said.
Loading trucks for deliveries is also quicker. The grain elevator has decreased loading time from 15 minutes to six minutes, and truck drivers can stay in their truck while feed is being loaded.
With these decreased times, the Sanders said they can speed up and expand delivery range by getting trucks on the road earlier in the day, allowing them to deliver to cattle operations in Dahlonega, Cleveland, Sparta and several South Carolina locations.
Beyond efficiency, the grain elevator is also more reliable and reduces waste by making spills easier for workers to recover.
“When it’s faster and easier, things tend to get done,” Danny said.
Danny said there’s also been positive community response, with many residents commenting on the installation and showing their support.
“I think people like to see things going on in the county that contribute to the growth of what we’ve got going on here,” he said.
As the family adjusts and expands their business with this new innovation, Danny hopes it will allow them to pursue new business opportunities.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to pick up new business as it comes along and go after some new business as well,” he said. “That will certainly help the bottom line.”