Area's Largest Commercial Corn Flaker Up and Running at Grain Handling Inc.

In early June, Grain Handling Inc. (GHI), part of AgriNorthwest in the Row Crops Division, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the launch of operations for its new steam corn flaker at GHI’s facilities in Plymouth, Washington. The new flaker demonstrates AgReserves' ongoing commitment to operational excellence and relentless pursuit of continuous improvement.

It’s the largest commercial corn flaker in the area – comparable in size to those in large cattle feeding regions of the country such as Kansas and Texas – and gives GHI the ability to provide finished feed to dairies and feedlots throughout the Columbia Basin and Yakima Valley and as far away as Tillamook, Oregon. The new plant can produce 800 tons of flaked corn per day.

“Having a flaker allows us to expand our product offerings to the feed market,” said GHI Marketing Director Devin Lybbert. “Before, we were limited to selling only whole corn, which in turn limited our customer base. Now, we can sell a finished product.”

Steam flaking takes a whole kernel of corn, increases its moisture, and smashes the kernel flat. The flaking process makes the starch in the corn more readily susceptible to microbial and enzymatic breakdown in an animal’s digestive system. This improved digestion in the animal allows a large proportion of the corn to be converted to energy for growth or lactation.

An added benefit to the flaking process, according to USDA scientists, is a reduction in the amount of greenhouse gas produced per animal.

Bouten Construction Company submitted the winning design-build proposal and broke ground in July 2024. GHI ran its first flakes in late-April. “The builder did a fantastic job,” Devin said.

The facility was built in such a way that two additional flakers can be easily added. “If we see demand exceeding our capacity, then we will expand,” Devin explained.

GHI, founded in 1980, operates a commercial grain elevator and is located adjacent to the BNSF Railway mainline, which runs along the Oregon-Washington border parallel to the Columbia River. A rail loop was installed in 2003, helping the facility qualify as an approved shuttle loader and unloader.

AgReserves, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.