Grainnet

Al Brensing, President of Stafford County Flour Mill in Hudson, KS, Celebrates 70 Years With the Company

This summary was taken from an article written by Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.

Hudson, KS--How long have you been with your company? Twenty years, 30 years, 40?

Those types of careers win records for longevity in many businesses.

Al Brensing is the president of the Stafford County Flour Mills, Hudson, KS.

On May 21, 2007, Brensing reached a milestone in working for his company for 70 years.

He began with the company at the usual age of 20.

Even though he's 90 years old, he is still the president of the company, and he still comes in to work every day.

Reuel Foote, general manager of Stafford County Mills, says, "He is remarkable."

Perhaps just as remarkable as Brensing's career is the story of Stafford County Mills.

In 1882, a man named Gustav Krug came to Kansas from Germany, where his father had been in the flour milling business.

In 1905, Krug built a wooden mill at Hudson, KS, but the mill burned down in 1913.

At that time, Krug was 64 years old and walking with a crutch.

Despite his age, he raised $20,000 locally and built a new mill.

By the time he died in 1920, he had repaid the entire loan.

The business continued to grow, and in 1937, the company took on a young bookkeeper by the name of Al Brensing.

Al rose through the ranks and became the company's fourth president in 1986.

Today, the Stafford County Flour Mills' state-of-the-art milling facility produces Hudson Cream Flour, which is recognized nation wide for its high quality.

Darrel Brensing, Al's nephew, recently retired from the American Institute of Baking (AIB), Manhattan, KS.

He says, "The quality of Hudson Cream Flour is different from any other on the market."

"It's a higher protein, premium product."

Hudson Cream Flour is made using a "short patent" milling process, which was more common a century ago.

With this process, the wheat is ground and sifted more times than in standard milling.

The result is flour that is smoother in texture and produces baked goods that are consistently light and fluffy.

Hudson Cream Flour is available in self-rising as well as whole wheat form, plus bread flour with added gluten which makes it great for bread machines.

The company sells corn meal, corn bread, and biscuit mix, plus a country gravy mix to go with the biscuits.

The company even sells old-time flour tins, towels, tote bags, and flour recipe books, but the heart of the business is still the classic white flour that true bakers love to use.