Are Kalmbach/Tribute feeds manufactured at the same mill? Looking at a picture of the mill, there only appear to be one milling building. If medicated feeds are manufactured on the same line as horse feeds, requiring flushing, how can the facility be ionophore free?
Also I still want to know how the plaintiff got their hands on those documents…I would think the FDA would not allow someone to just walk in and rifle through their files.
FOIA request
[QUOTE=Jackie & Starlette;8804536]
I am with you all…I love Tribute feeds, and would hate to think that there is some hidden issues going on. From the FB messages I got from them (I assume Bonnie)…
9:36pm
Jackie Smith Flanders
Hi again…is it true that the FDA found that Kalmbach is not a closed facility, that indeed Kalmbach runs medicated feeds in the same facility as the horse/non-medicated feeds? Here is the link that shows at the end Kalbach being sited for non-compliance…
Tribute Equine Nutrition
Jackie, your question is related to a specific in the case that I’m not at liberty to address right now. As soon as we can, we will be responding to this issue in court.
8:08am
Jackie Smith Flanders:
I understand. But can I be assured that the current Tribute feeds have no chance of being exposed to medications or contamination from other livestock feeds? I hope I worded my question in a way you can respond. Thank you
8:12am
Tribute Equine Nutrition
Jackie, you can be assured that our horse feeds are manufactured in a facility that is completely ionophore-free.
So…there you go. Also I still want to know how the plaintiff got their hands on those documents…I would think the FDA would not allow someone to just walk in and rifle through their files.
Jackie[/QUOTE]
Sounds like some feed in the past was manufactured in a mixed mill and they have since changed that.
I don’t see any evidence they have multiple mills. They say they have separate lines now but it has been a capital upgrade so they haven’t always. This suit might predate the separate lines, I don’t know. And it does say they have special ways to clean the lines so it is not clear to me whether they clean them or don’t use any part of the mill to run horse feed that might contact medicated feed. I don’t know that much about how mills are designed. I hope it is the latter since that is what I was told.
http://www.kalmbachfeeds.com/pages/company-information/about-kalmbach/
Anyone else read the whole court document like I just did?!? There is a HUGE glaring error in it. Repeatedly…makes me think the whole thing is false. It says that a man came to the farm on August 28, 2016 and took the samples!!! So the guy goes into the future to take samples and then destroys the results…umm did anyone proof read this?!?
I hope this is all false as I feed my horses Tribute.
[QUOTE=Beethoven;8805579]
Anyone else read the whole court document like I just did?!? There is a HUGE glaring error in it. Repeatedly…makes me think the whole thing is false. It says that a man came to the farm on August 28, 2016 and took the samples!!! So the guy goes into the future to take samples and then destroys the results…umm did anyone proof read this?!?
I hope this is all false as I feed my horses Tribute.[/QUOTE]
I noticed the same thing. I do this for a living (Legal Asst.), and if something like that went out of our office, someone would be paying dearly. I also find it odd that the FDA Report was redacted like that. Why not include the names of the feed? Were they really referencing horse feed, or were there references to chicken, swine, or cattle feed? We’ll never know, unless we see a copy of the Report that has not been redacted. There are definitely some loops in this that cause me to be suspicious of it’s merits.
I am a loyal Tribute customer, have been feeding it for 10+ years. This is not to say I’m not a little uneasy. Time will tell, I suppose. A friend of mine has told me of another instance where horses died and it was linked to the Tribute line. I have not, however, seen nor heard this for myself. So who knows. But in the meantime, what to do? I have yet to make up my mind.
ETA: They have amended their complaint and fixed those errors.
I wouldn’t buy their feed,knowing this. Think sometimes your better off getting grain right from the farmer,no processing no contamination worries. Seems like there’s a lot of this contamination issue, going on with these feed companies who run cattle feed.
Really makes a person lose trust in the feed companies,you never know IF and when you might get THAT contaminated feed.
So just saw a copy of FDA approved medicated feed mills. Kalmbach was added as of August 2016 since it was revised this month.
This was on a Facebook posting talking about Western Milling contaminated feed:
I found this FDA website that has a PDF file updated August 2016. Kalmbach is listed as a approved medicated mill. If your feed is manufactured in Upper Sandusky OH is probably made in a mill with medications. Hope this link works.
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AnimalVeterinary/Products/AnimalFoodFeeds/MedicatedFeed/UCM089532.pdf
[QUOTE=Lotta-b;8809335]
So just saw a copy of FDA approved medicated feed mills. Kalmbach was added as of August 2016 since it was revised this month.
This was on a Facebook posting talking about Western Milling contaminated feed:
I found this FDA website that has a PDF file updated August 2016. Kalmbach is listed as a approved medicated mill. If your feed is manufactured in Upper Sandusky OH is probably made in a mill with medications. Hope this link works.
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AnimalVeterinary/Products/AnimalFoodFeeds/MedicatedFeed/UCM089532.pdf[/QUOTE]
Your link works,wouldn’t buy horse feed from any mill that runs medicated cattle feed,not worth the risk. ADM has has been the cause of many horses dieing because of contamination problems.
Didn’t see purina or nutrena on there,but if they run medicated cattle feed i’ll NEVER buy their feed again. I’ll feed oats, barley and corn, i can get from local farmers, before i’d risk killing my horses with contaminated feed.
Nutrena does run medicated feed on the same mills as horse feed. I contacted them as that is a feed I can easily get in my area.
[QUOTE=Lotta-b;8809398]
Nutrena does run medicated feed on the same mills as horse feed. I contacted them as that is a feed I can easily get in my area.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for that info,i will no longer buy any horse feed from them. I"ll get grain from local farmers,lots safer. 
:no: :no: :no: So disappointing Kalambach :’(
[QUOTE=tazycat;8809378]
Didn’t see purina or nutrena on there,but if they run medicated cattle feed i’ll NEVER buy their feed again. I’ll feed oats, barley and corn, i can get from local farmers, before i’d risk killing my horses with contaminated feed.[/QUOTE]
Not trying be argumentative, but as I said earlier, even whole grains straight from the farm are not fail proof. Mycotoxins in corn have killed many horses… how many “local” farmers test for them? And do you have any idea how many salmonella cases there are from fertilizer used on crops?
There is no one answer that is 100% safe. It’s frustrating. All you can really do is try to be proactive and hope for the best.
Then I just won’t feed any grain, or any hard feed at all. Pasture and hay will be all my horses will get. Guess they’ll eventually gain weight on forage alone.
[QUOTE=tazycat;8809535]
Then I just won’t feed any grain, or any hard feed at all. Pasture and hay will be all my horses will get. Guess they’ll eventually gain weight on forage alone.[/QUOTE]
There are plenty of companies that use independent mills. Purina, McCauleys, etc. While mycotoxins are a concern, you are going to be pretty hard pressed to find anything without them in the US and at least some feed manufacturers add binders to their complete feeds.
Remember as I mentioned above in my last edited post - “ionophore” and “medicated” are NOT one and the same!
My understanding is that Kalmbach has never and will never run ionophore based feeds and horse feeds on the same line, at the same facility, in the same building. Just wont happen.
I think if you get an understanding of what “medicated” feeds have been and are being run at the same facility as horse feeds you will feel a lot better about this situation. And also look into what an “ionophore” feed is compared to a medicated feed …
I am completely 100% okay with continuing to feed Tribute to my horses once I looked into and learned what the differences are
Its huge …
[QUOTE=TrueColours;8809560]
Remember as I mentioned above in my last edited post - “ionophore” and “medicated” are NOT one and the same!
My understanding is that Kalmbach has never and will never run ionophore based feeds and horse feeds on the same line, at the same facility, in the same building. Just wont happen.
I think if you get an understanding of what “medicated” feeds have been and are being run at the same facility as horse feeds you will feel a lot better about this situation. And also look into what an “ionophore” feed is compared to a medicated feed …
I am completely 100% okay with continuing to feed Tribute to my horses once I looked into and learned what the differences are
Its huge …[/QUOTE]
Monensin that’s also run in cattle feed kills horses too. The mills that run medicated feed for cattle and also run horse feed,CAN"T be trusted it’s be proven time & time again.
And monensin is an ionophore chemical,and ADM had monensin poisoning in horses from contaminated feed… And ADM is still running this medicated feed for cattle,so risk is still there and not worth taking. Cattle industry still uses monensin in their feeds. As are the mills listed in the link i wouldn’t touch their feeds with a ten foot pole.
[QUOTE=tazycat;8809407]
Thanks for that info,i will no longer buy any horse feed from them. I"ll get grain from local farmers,lots safer. :)[/QUOTE]
You do realize that many local farmers have access to rumesin as well. Many get feed delivered to their farms using it. And that just a few parts per million can kill a horse. As in, mishandling of that feed can contaminate other things.
You are honestly safer buying feed from a manufacturer who acknowledges that they use it in their mills, has a cleaning process documented and in use, and trains their employees why these processes are important.
Just curious, lots of people keep horses with their cattle, do they just not feed at all or is there something safe?
[QUOTE=cutter99;8809900]
You do realize that many local farmers have access to rumesin as well. Many get feed delivered to their farms using it. And that just a few parts per million can kill a horse. As in, mishandling of that feed can contaminate other things.
You are honestly safer buying feed from a manufacturer who acknowledges that they use it in their mills, has a cleaning process documented and in use, and trains their employees why these processes are important.[/QUOTE
And how many of those so called trained people to clean the mill have failed?? if they were so well trained, why is there still horses dying from monensin poisoning??
Well their training is failing in my book,wasn’t long ago ADM had a lot of horses die from monensin poisoning. Until it all stops and NO MORE Reported poisoning happen i won’t trust any feed company that runs cattle feed.
Farmers i would get feed from don’t have it delivered ,their the ones who produced it,and harvested it. And farmer i get it from doesn’t handle monensin ever. If horses need feed i can buy oats from local farmer,who harvest his own crops. Doesn’t handle monensin or any kind of medications for cattle.If he was contaminating his grains with monensin ,and poisoning local people’s horses ,he would of been long ago outta business.
My horses are on pasture and get alfalfa hay and a salt lick,no feed being fed gave what bagged feed i had to a friend. Horses can live on alfalfa hay and pasture…
He sells oats to horse people then sell rest of oat crop to local feed stores.No i’am honestly safer staying away from buying feed from a manufacturer. Every time you turnaround there’s another report of contaminated feed killing horses…
So someone’s failing miserably at their jobs of cleaning mills, after running cattle feed. If you honestly believe your safer buying feed from manufacturer,the go a head and buy it.
I’am sure all the people who lost their horses to being poisoned from contaminated feed thought same thing…bet their re thinking it now,but it’s a little late once your horse is DEAD.
The feed industry wan’t everyone to believe their feed is safe,and how they train their employees. Fact is no feed company that runs both medicated cattle feed and horse feed are safe to buy form,proven time and time again. How many more horses will have to die before these companies get it fixed with contamination issues. I know one thing it’s not going to be my horses who die, because of failure to get mills cleaned properly after medicated feed is run.
