Star of the West Milling Company secures US$450,000 grant for US$79M corn mill
The mill will be built on the site of the company’s former wheat flour mill, which was decommissioned and razed after operations ended in November 2025.
USA – Star of the West Corn Milling LLC, a subsidiary of Frankenmuth-based Star of the West Milling Co., has been awarded a US$450,000 state development grant to support the construction of a new, state-of-the-art dry corn mill in Quincy, Michigan.
The funding was approved by the Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development through the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s (MDARD) Food and Agriculture Investment Program (FAIP).
The grant will help offset costs for a broader US$79 million capital investment project that aims to build Michigan’s first modern, high-capacity commercial dry corn milling facility.
Although Michigan farmers harvest more than 340 million bushels of corn annually, the state previously lacked a dedicated commercial corn mill, forcing regional growers to export raw grain out of state or route it primarily toward livestock feed and ethanol production.
The new facility will convert locally grown crops into value-added food-grade and feed-grade corn ingredients.
Located on the site of a former wheat flour mill that was decommissioned early in the year, the redevelopment project requires demolishing aged structures to make way for a modern six-story slipform mill building, warehouse and packaging area, feed loadout structure, and administrative offices.
Once operational, the high-tech facility will leverage modern automation processes and create 17 direct jobs, restoring employment opportunities that were lost during the recent wind-down of the site’s legacy flour milling operations.
In its initial year of operation, the Quincy mill is projected to process over 5 million bushels of Michigan food-grade corn, with annual capacity expected to expand to 6.7 million bushels, representing roughly 2% of the state’s total annual corn crop, by its fifth year. The facility will have a daily processing capacity of more than 21,000 bushels.
Company executive Karina Spencer emphasized that the facility will strengthen regional agricultural supply chains, reduce transportation costs for local producers, and establish a reliable, long-term market for area farmers.
MDARD officials highlighted the strategic importance of the investment, noting that processing agricultural commodities closer to where they are grown retains economic value within local rural communities.
Founded in 1870, Star of the West is the 10th-largest flour miller in the United States, operating four flour mills, over 30 grain elevators, and five dry bean processing sites.
Construction on the Quincy dry corn mill is underway, with full commercial operations targeted for completion in 2028, consisting of razing the existing mill structure and warehouse and constructing a six-story slipform building to house the new milling operation.
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