Kyle Anderson

Grain/Feed System Design–Waitt Equipment

Education: Feed Science and Management

Graduation Year: 2017

Kyle Anderson serves as the grain and feed system design at Waitt Equipment. In this role, he handles the design of new facilities, facility expansions and repairs and maintenance projects for commercial grain and feed facilities located in the Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee areas. Anderson works directly with feed managers and operation owners to address issues in their facility or to make plans for a system that will expand their business. In addition to designing the projects and 3D models of the projects, he is also responsible for developing quotes for the projects. The quotes include expenses such as equipment, labor estimates, contract labor and crane/equipment rental estimates.

Anderson balances his time between meeting with customers, taking site measurements, planning the projects and ordering the equipment for the projects to take place. When a project is underway Anderson is on–site laying out concrete, placing equipment and answering design questions. Occasionally, he handles customer’s equipment problems, but customer demand and his current construction load dictate most of his schedule.

K-State Experience

Anderson was a student that was heavily involved in many different activities including FarmHouse Fraternity, the Feed Science Club, and Alpha Mu Department of Grain Science and Industry Honors Society. He was also able to study abroad in Brazil. Anderson attended many conferences including Agriculture Future of America (AFA); Grain Elevators and Processing Society (GEAPS) and the International Processing and Production Expo (IPPE).

Looking back, Anderson believes that the Cereal Plant Design course taught by Dr. Stark was the most beneficial class for him. The class serves as a capstone that helps bring the whole curriculum of the feed science program together.

Anderson’s classes prepared him for three internships throughout the country. He served as an elevator manager intern for North Central Kansas Coop, a plant engineer intern for Kent Nutrition Group and a management intern for ADM Animal Nutrition.

Plan Ahead

Students cannot plan for everything, but they should plan to work hard in the classroom. Anderson says, “college can be a very pivotal point in life, and you get out of it what you put into it. College is the opportunity to push yourself out of your comfort zone.” He adds, “make a plan for what you want to get out of your time in college. Now your plan will change more times than you will be able to count, but just stay focused on your goals. You are paying for a training and education that can dramatically change the opportunities that you have access to, so make the best of it.”