Altona Oat Miller Says 2020 Good Year To Grow Oats

Jan 06, 2020

2019 saw some big changes for Altona-based Buffalo Creek Mills.

The oat milling facility doubled its production capacity and installed new high-speed unload equipment. The company also introduced oat hull pellets, which can used for feed or heating.

CEO Ryan Penner gave his outlook for the year ahead.

"We would see the price of oats remaining strong," he said. "The demand for milling oats is generally good. I think that it would be a good year for farmers to consider putting oats into the soil. We hope to see a couple of new oat farmers in 2020."

Penner notes the 2019 oat crop turned out to be better than expected.

Buffalo Creek Mills sells oat groats that are used for pet food, feed, and human consumption. The company's primary market is North America, however Penner is hoping to see the Asian market open up a little bit more.

"Oats in general have proven to have a great nutrient profile and that's being implemented in the food industry and that's showing increase demand both in North America as well as we hope to see in other parts of other markets within the world open up to these benefits as well," he added. "We see a very strong demand for oats into the future."

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