"The Quaker Oats Plant is the largest cereal mill in the world, located in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. The tallest section of the complex rises 13 floors and 190 feet (58 m) in height. It is currently the 4th-tallest building in Cedar rapids.

"Located on the north side of downtown, it is cut off from the rest of the downtown area by I-380. The west side of the site is alongside Cedar River. On the north and east sides, the site is bounded by Cedar Lake, train yards and other industrial sites. The Plant is served by the Union Pacific Railroad which connects the Plant to Grain Elevators around the state, there is also a Canadian National line that terminates at the plant, but there is no connection to CN's network.

"The facility employs 740 people and produces such products as Cap'n Crunch, Life, Quaker Oats Squares, Pearl Milling Company pancake mix and syrup, Instant Quaker Oatmeal, Standard Quaker Oats and others." (Wikipedia)

"Iowa has led the nation in corn production for 23 straight years, and about 80 percent of the state's 30 million crop acres are covered with either corn or soybeans," the Des Moines Register says.

"Despite that dominance, developing markets for alfalfa, oats and other small grains could help Iowa farmers address some significant environmental problems, including degraded soil and water quality and increased weed resistance to herbicides, experts say.

"Quaker Oats buys its oats from Canada, where it can find the quantity and quality the company needs, experts say.

But some other companies could be considering a shift."

"As a division of PepsiCo Inc., Quaker Oats operates one of the world’s largest cereal mills in downtown Cedar Rapids, IA. Inside this production facility – which was originally built in 1873 – more than 1,000 workers manufacture Quaker-branded oatmeal, grits, snacks, and cold cereals," the Communications Engineering Company says.

"Quaker has plants in many countries all over the world. And the interesting part is that not all oats are consumed in the same way," the Food Heaven Made Easy says.

"For example, in China, oats are cooked into more of a porridge consistency commonly known as congee. In some European countries, like Spain, oats are typically consumed cold, or mixed with yogurt. In some Latin American countries, oats are often added to smoothies or soaked in water and consumed as agua con avena."

"Quaker Oats Company, a division of PepsiCo, operates the world’s largest cereal mill, located in downtown Cedar Rapids. The production facility was built in 1873 and employs more than 1,000 people," the  Iowa Department of Natural Resources says.

"There are 1.9 million square feet of building under roof. Quaker Oats produces many well-known brands, including Life cereal, Captain Crunch cereal and Quaker Oatmeal.

"Quaker Oats Company is continuously improving its environmental awareness and sustainability. Quaker’s Cedar Rapids plant has begun to map utility usage throughout its various production lines for use in resource conservation projects. As part of a growing resource conservation initiative, the utility modeling is a long-term project that will identify opportunities to eliminate wasted energy."

"1850: Ferdinand Schumacher founds German Mills American Cereal Company in Akron, OH. During the same period, John Stuart established the North Star Mills Company in Canada," the official website says.

"1877: Quaker Oats registered as the first trademark for a breakfast cereal. The trademark was registered with the U.S. Patent Office as "a figure of a man in 'Quaker garb.'" Both former owners, Henry Seymour and William Heston, claimed to have selected the Quaker name as a symbol of good quality and honest value.

"1890: The American Cereal Company runs a special all-Quaker Oats train from Cedar Rapids, IA to Portland, OR and introduces the first ever "trial-size samples." 1/2 oz. sample boxes of Quaker Oats are delivered to every mailbox in Portland, OR.

"1997: The Quaker brand introduces the first food-specific health claim for oatmeal, which is approved by the FDA. The new heart health claim appears on Quaker Oatmeal cereals which qualify. The claim reads: "Soluble fiber from oatmeal as part of a low saturated fat, low cholesterol diet, may reduce the risk of heart disease."

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