Anoka Independent Feed & Grain

Anoka Independent Feed and Grain. . , The feed mill in the early 1950s had only two silos., Owners Ernest Petersen and his sister, Alice, in the office, 1952 or 1953., Anoka Independent Feed and Grain is one of Anoka's oldest family run businesses. Ernest Petersen was the first of the Petersens in the grain and feed business. Though he lacked a formal education, he was an astute businessman and was always in charge of the company. Ernest's son, Fred, hauled grain and delivered feed to area farmers for his first job. Ernest's sister, Alice, helped in the office with the bookkeeping. Ernest also owned an International Harvester dealership, three turkey farms, and a restaurant. Ernest ran the business until 1993 when health issues forced him to turn over the business to sons, Fred and David. Fred and David ran the feed mill was well as the turkey farm. David left the business in 1999. In 2009 Fred retired and his son, Kevin, bought the mill., Ernest added the feed mill to the existing Anoka elevator in the late 1940s. Silos for grain were added in the early 1950s, and in 1954 the office was added. By the late 1960s the volume of feed processed here had reached capacity, and metal grain bins were constructed. The spur rail line brought box cars filled with corn and other grains to blend into feed. The mill mostly mixed feed for a variety of farm animals, but also carried a line of pet food and included several granaries on the property., Purchased in 1972, Anoka Independent Feed and Grain had the first round feed trailer in the nation. (Turkey feed was ground very fine, almost flour-like and was very difficult to unload from a traditional trailer). This trailer had doors to drop the grain down into an auger that moved the grain back and through the pipe seen along the top of the back end of the trailer. That pipe could be positioned to dump the grain where needed., It was believed a storm in late spring of 1964 sparked a lightning fire in the old elevator burning it down, but the feed mill and office buildings were unharmed., As Anoka County developed from farm lands to suburbs, the Anoka Independent Feed and Grain's focus changed from cattle and hog feed to specially blended feeds for hobby farms, poultry farms, pet foods, grass seed, and premium wild bird feed., Photos and historical information courtesy of the Anoka County Historical Society