Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
On the western edge of Saskatchewan’s Great Sand Hills, Arnold Schmidt is making waves in the flour mill world.
“I started farming in the mid-1940s and then, in 1980, I started farming organically," he explains. "I started selling wheat at first in bags. Then we went into flour. I was looking at stone mills. I decided they were too slow and started to develop my own mill, and eventually got into building mills for other people.”
Schmidt Manufacturing and Schmidt Flour are located at Schmidt’s farm, 30 miles north of Maple Creek, on the north side of Big Stick Lake, 3.5 miles off the #21 highway.
Through the years, Schmidt’s mills have evolved in terms of efficiency and suitability for various needs.
“They can do almost anything. We can do white flour. The new mills will be able to de-bran and mill all at one time. With other mills, you have to do the de-branning first and use other equipment to do the milling," he says. "We sell the mills all over the world. We have them in the Philippines, China, Australia and all over the United States. We've sold quite a few right here in Canada, also. They are more efficient than most mills.”
Some are used in bakeries; some are used for general flour milling to feed local populations.
“We are working on a deal in North Africa for 900-horse units. They will be big capacity—4,000 pounds per unit per hour. The whole mill system for that is worth millions of dollars. I just do the mill.”
How did Arnold Schmidt become so proficient in mill design?
“I am mechanically minded. I have always been that way," he says. "Nutrition and mechanics have been my major interests. I don’t have that high an education, but I do a lot of research.”
Schmidt also taps into local talent.
“Some smaller mills are produced by guys who used to work for me—they started a shop right in Maple Creek building mills—but the final touch is done here. They weld them together for us and we work on them. We have an 80-foot-long, insulated quonset hut at the farm. Usually we have two or three people working full time here. We gear up more if we get a big order.”
Over the years, Schmidt has made substantial investments in mill research and design. It now seems his investment in mills is paying off, to the point where he is now developing high-nutrient breakfast cereals made with rye, hemp and flax, due to be market-ready in the spring.
You may have guessed it: Schmidt is not planning to retire anytime soon.
For more information, contact:
Arnold SchmidtSchmidt Manufacturing Ltd.
(306) 666-4800 http://www.schmidtflourinc.com
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