TDC continues to develop new technologies, processes, and equipment and can deliver a drying system that meets the specifications for most drying applications.
TDC began in 1945 as an alfalfa dehydrating plant. From 1945 until 1983, we owned and operated three alfalfa dehydrating plants. These plants farmed, harvested, transported, dried, ground, pelletized, cooled, and marketed the alfalfa. Through these experiences we gained first hand knowledge of the demands and issues of running a processing facility.
After TDC’s first operating season we found ourselves unhappy with the process equipment we had purchased and started designing and fabricating our own. We designed and built industrial grade drying systems, harvesting equipment, alfalfa processing equipment, and granular fertilizer processing equipment. Until 1985, TDC owned and operated three fabrication shops.
Noticing how well our equipment was working, companies in the alfalfa industry began approaching us to build their equipment. In 1947 TDC sold its first piece of equipment to another alfalfa dehydrating company. Since that time TDC has designed and built equipment for drying systems for many other industries.
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 Of all the materials we have dried, alfalfa has been the most challenging. This is mainly due to alfalfa having two very dissimilar products to dry. The alfalfa stems contain most of the plant’s mass with very little surface area, making them difficult to dry. However, the alfalfa leaves contain very little of the plant’s mass and most of the plant’s surface area causing the leaves to dry quickly. We developed technology to dry these Products simultaneously to similar moisture contents. We were able to dry and grind the stems and leaves at full production without over drying the leaves. Before long, TDC had earned a reputation for producing high quality products.
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