The Flaked Corn Story

Going from whole corn to true flaked corn requires precise processing. According to recent research, corn that has been properly processed (truly flaked) can increase milk production substantiallly-as much as 6  pounds per cow per day*. How is that possible? Animal Scientists at the University of Arizona and Cornell University as well as others have shown that corn cooked at over 200 degrees for over an hour (totally softened) and flaked thinly between two large rolls is far more digestible by the rumen organisms than is corn prepared by all other methods of processing. They concluded that the corn stays in the rumen longer and that the cooked thin flake is more easily digested than rolled or ground corn.

First, we start with clean corn. Next, we cook it in two 25-ton capacity steam chambers for about an hour and a half. This cooking is at temperatures of over 200 degrees. Then, the soft, perfectly conditioned corn is thinly flaked between two large rolls-each 24" in diameter by 42" long. There is a roller mill at the bottom of each steam chamber. Each of these flaking mills will flake 15 tons of corn per hour. Since moisture was added during the cooking process, the flaked corn needs to pass through high capacity coolers to eliminate added moisture. The dried, thinly flaked corn is elevated and dropped into one of eight 40 ton finished product bins where it will be loaded onto a delivery truck at a later time.