In 1930, a gentleman by the name of Val Brandt graduated high school with the determination to one day start his own business. He attended Iowa State College for a short herdsman course. With a desire for additional schooling and money being tight, he worked on a chicken farm in Ames and later at the Ames Hatchery for income. From 1930 to 1936, he managed to finish 4 quarters in the winter months so he could be home in the spring and fall for planting and harvesting. With the money earned and the knowledge he received, Val was motivated to open a business in Garnavillo, Iowa.

Val traveled to Elkader, Iowa, to have chicken feed ground and was intrigued by the feed business. That’s when Val had the idea of building a country mill. The summer of 1936 building commenced. Lumber to build the mill was harvested right from their farm timber. Val purchased a used feed mixer from Fassbinder Feed Mill in Elkader and started grinding with a double runner burr mill. Fall of 1936 Garnavillo Mill was open for business.

Val always had an interest in chickens and mixing chicken rations. Working with his former teachers in Ames and raising chickens here at the mill, Val tested the formulations they produced. We still use these formulations today. The mill offered grinding, shelling, and mixing services in the early years and mixed their own brand called Silver Mill Feeds. The name “Silver Mill Feeds” came from the original mill in 1936, painted with aluminum paint, giving it a silver appearance. We still refer to this name today.

Val was the sole owner and operator in the early years until his brother Robert decided to join the business in 1947, after spending a few years farming.

January 1952, Val and Robert ventured into the corn drying business. With a homemade set up they could dry one wagon load at a time.

In 1958 Garnavillo Mill started offering bulk feed delivery services and installed their first pellet mill.

The corn drying business was evolving and becoming more popular, so the need for a dryer was a must. Copying the principal of the American dryer, Val, his son Dale, Rob, and his son Phil built a batch dryer at our grain location in 1966 that was used for many years.

Phil Brandt (Rob’s son) began full time employment in 1968.

Over the years of gradually adding, changing, and building, the plant was officially relocated to its current site, across the street from the main office in the “block building”. In 1977, the original Garnavillo Mill “Silver Mill” was torn down to build the present office.

In 1975, Roger Balk (Garnavillo Mill’s current owner) started working at Garnavillo Mill as a student worker at the age of 17. After a couple years of learning the industry, he was their mainstay in the mixing and pelleting department. In 1985, Roger was moved to General Manager of Garnavillo Mill. Over the years, Roger has witnessed and been a part of many changes and additions to Garnavillo Mill and the feed industry.

When Robert Brandt passed away, Val decided he was ready retire. Phil Brandt and his sister Judy MacCleod took over ownership of Garnavillo Mill. The Balk family purchased Garnavillo Mill and became the new owners in October of 2012. Since that day, the Balk family has continued to share the same values instilled by the Brandt family. Garnavillo Mill, having less than 12 employees, has proven sustainability in the feed industry, changing and adapting with the times, and will for many more years to come.