North Dakota organic flour mill company expanding

HARVEY, N.D. (AP) - A flour mill company is spreading out in Harvey.

Earth Harvest Mills held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday.

The federal Agriculture Department's Rural Development director, Jasper Schneider, said three loans through the agency provided $2.2 million to help the company get started. He said two of the original loans have been paid in full.

The company does business as Dakota Prairie Organic Flour. It got another loan, for about $7.4 million, from USDA Rural Development through the First National Bank of Harvey to help pay for its expansion.

Schneider said Earth Harvest Mills plans to increase its production capacity from 23 million pounds of flour a year to 185 million pounds.

Brothers Eric and Grayson Hoberg founded the company in 2004. It grew to about 20 workers.