LUVERNE, Minn. — A southwest Minnesota company is using a revolutionary new technology to bring a different kind of livestock floor slate to the agriculture industry.
Midwest Dry Cast, located in Luverne, is the only manufacturer in the United States that produces a five-inch concrete bar and joist for use inside hog barns through a dry casting process, rather than the traditional wet casting method.
“We have a thicker lath than anyone else in the industry, made from dry cast, which is really super strong super high performance concrete,” said manger Aaron Waldner.
Waldner said years of research throughout the US and Europe were needed to develop this new formulation. It has been tested in the elements of a pig facility and has given positive results in the areas of durability, strength and consistency. Waldner said their engineering also sets them apart because they build the slats to have a high load rating.
“Well, we're not skimping on our concrete, we're not skimping on our rebar, but we're building a slat that our customers are confident they can send their families and their livelihoods and their animals walk over that's guaranteed to it will hold their weight,” he said.
Most slatted floors, according to Waldner, are guaranteed for 15 years. However, he said Midwest Dry Cast manufactures the laths to last the life of the facility, which is about 40 years.
Midwest Dry Cast has 14 full-time employees and chose Luverne to locate because of its strong agricultural base and good workforce. Waldner said the location was also close to their aggregates, which are only 10 to 15 miles away. Additionally, Waldner said they are in the sweet spot of their distribution area, which is a 250-mile radius from Luverne. With the weight of concrete, he said shipping farther than that becomes prohibitive.
Waldner said they invested in equipment from France because of the system's automation and repeatability. It automatically adapts to the environment and weather conditions and proves to be a stable product. They also use a hot steam process to finish the slats and slow down wear for many years.
“Every slat pushed through here has a date stamp. And we'll be able to trace it right back to the date, the mix design, the moisture that that lath was made at,” he said.
With prices rising for almost all building materials, Waldner says they try to keep their prices as stable as possible. The cost of their main aggregates, powders and other inputs has increased significantly.
“We managed to soak it up as much as possible. Obviously, it is impossible to do all this. Our biggest price increases this year have been armaments,” he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed sales for Midwest Dry Cast, like most businesses. However, Waldner said they will more than make up for it this year and are on an aggressive growth plan.
“Since we started, we've almost doubled our production in the first two years and we're looking to quadruple it this year with everything going on in the ag market,” he said.
Until recently, the hog industry was in expansion mode. But with disease issues, the US herd is shrinking. In response, Waldner said they are also involved in remodeling projects so hog producers can get another 20 years of life out of a barn. They are also looking to diversify into non-agricultural products.
Midwest Dry Slat will exhibit its products at this year's World Pork Expo, June 9-11 in Des Moines, Iowa.
