Stengel Seed & Grain Co., located near Milbank, S.D., is a family-owned business with 40 years of experience in cleaning all types of grains and beans for the organic food industry. Owned by Doug and Tim Stengel, and aided by eight long-term employees, Stengel Seed strives to grow in excellence and innovation in the field of grain processing.
With five different cleaning lines and two color sorters, Stengel Seed can run different products simultaneously to efficiently meet the needs and timeline of their customers. The processing plant is certified and audited by AIB International, certified organic through International Certification Services including USDA NOP, EC 834/2007 Equivalence and is COR and JAS compliant; Kosher certified by UMK; and a South Dakota Seed Conditioner.The Stengel’s enjoy a long tradition of growing and cleaning grain.
Doug and Tim’s grandfather and father did on-farm grain cleaning of their seed. Now Doug primarily manages the processing plant and Tim attends to the farming. Tim’s wife, Sue, is the office manager/bookkeeper at the plant. Other employees include: Mike Robertson, main mill manager; Frank Remington, plant and machine maintenance; Harlan Bohn, warehouse; Drew Tschakert, bean and barley plant; Andrea Bohn, quality control; Tim Lindgren and Nathan Stengel, general labor and bagging.
While the process of cleaning grain has not changed greatly over the last 100 years, the equipment has been improved with modern materials and technology. The modern food industry requires near perfection in cleanliness. While perfection is seldom obtained, we strive to make each lot as clean as possible. This often requires very specialized equipment or unusual steps to achieve that high standard of purity. Stengel Seed often manufactures its own specialized cleaners. These specific cleaners, along with a very rigorous quality program, has enabled them to meet or exceed industry quality standards.
Many different toll customers rely on Stengel Seed to process to their required specifications. Growers in the Midwest and Canada truck their grain to the plant near Milbank. Product is cleaned and then packaged in 25 lb. bags on up to 1,000 KG totes or true bulk loads. Orders ship by truck domestically in the U.S. and by overseas containers to Europe and Japan. Stengel Seed and Grain Co. is proud to be a part of the growing organic food industry.
