Dale Wilmore McMillen (January 27, 1880 – April 21, 1971) was a leading proponent of the use of feed supplements in animal husbandry. He founded Wayne Feeds and Central Soya. He was known as Mr. Mac to friends, family, and coworkers. McMillen was born January 27, 1880, near Van Wert, Ohio. He enrolled in Oberlin College in 1899, hoping to become a lawyer, but had to return home in his sophomore year to run the family business, a grain elevator, when his father became seriously ill. He stayed on, becoming a partner with his father, until striking out on his own in 1916. Wayne Feeds Researchers at Ohio State University and other land-grant colleges were seeking to modernize the agricultural industry through their system of county extension agents, and one of the things they were promoting was better nutrition for livestock. Complete feeds, however, were pricey. McMillen viewed this as an opportunity. He bought a small elevator in Fort Wayne, Indiana, NW of Van Wert, and started Wayne Feeds to produce a concentrate of the protein, vitamins and minerals that were lacking in regular feed. A farmer would grind 70 pounds of his own grain with 30 pounds of the feed supplement to make a high-quality feed ration that could be profitably fed. At this time, there was a growing interest in soybeans. Soybeans are a legume; bacteria nodules on the roots of legumes turn atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia through a process called nitrogen "fixing", enriching the soil. This alone made soybeans useful in crop rotation, but soybeans were known to be high in protein and vegetable oil as well. The protein looked especially good to McMillen. A. E. Staley Manufacturing Company, established in 1922, was one of the first companies to succeed with soybean crushing mills. Another pioneer in the field was the American Milling Company in 1927. Wayne Feeds was profitable; American Milling had potential. They merged in 1929 to form Allied Mills, with McMillen as the first president. Allied Mills and Wayne Feeds are now part of Ridley Corporation, an Australian company. Central Sugar McMillen was used to calling the shots, and did not enjoy running Allied Mills. By 1933, he had left that company to start a new business in a new location and a new industry. He bought the old abandoned Central Sugar sugar beet plant in Decatur, Indiana, about south of Fort Wayne, refurbished