Espoma announces construction of new processing facility
The Espoma Co. recently announced it is constructing a new processing facility in Hegins, Pennsylvania, expected to be completed by the end of this year. The new facility will have the ability to dry, blend and granulate organic ingredients into prilled fertilizer used for spreading across lawns and gardens.
Most organic fertilizers today are either not granulated at all or are granulated using pellet mills, which compress material into cylinder-shaped “pellets,” and then cracked into smaller pieces. Pellet mills are commonly used in the making of feed and pet food. Espoma’s new facility will reportedly be unique in that it will use a granulation system to make “prills” that are more ideal for the fertilizer industry, where sizing, uniformity, durability, dust control, and the ability to apply using spreaders are more critical.
“In our early years as a company, we were fully integrated,” said Jeremy Brunner, president. “We could pulverize, dry, blend and package organic fertilizers that were fine powders. But when much of the agricultural industry left South Jersey, we became reliant on our suppliers to dry and eventually pelletize material, while our facility in Millville, New Jersey, focused on bulk blending and packaging.
“After losing some key suppliers over the last few years, we decided to return to our roots and be in control of our own destiny. This new facility helps ensure a continuous supply of raw material, provides us with ample capacity for future growth, and improves the physical quality of our product.”
Espoma located its new facility in central Pennsylvania, where an abundant amount of raw materials is available nearby. Espoma will take millions of pounds of these materials from local farms and divert them from land application, thereby reducing potential nutrient runoff in nearby waterways. These products will then ship in bulk to Espoma’s Millville facility for further blending and packaging. Excess capacity will be available for commercial customers to buy in bulk truckloads or totes.
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