Full disclosure: CropLife magazine does not include grain elevator revenue when compiling its annual list of the top 100 largest ag retailers in the U.S., better known as the CropLife 100. If we did, the rankings would look a whole lot different. Instead, we only use sales figures from two areas that have traditionally been our editorial sweet spot: crop inputs (fertilizer, crop protection products, and seed) and services (custom application).
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10 | MFA Inc.
Grain revenue rank: No. 10 CropLife 100 rank: No. 8 Profile:MFA Inc. is a Midwest-based regional farm supply and marketing cooperative serving 45,000 farmer/owners in Missouri and adjacent states. Pictured is MFA's facility in Albany, MO.
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9 | CPI
Grain revenue rank: No. 9 CropLife 100 rank: No. 56 Profile:Cooperative Producers Inc. (CPI) operates 23 grain facilities in Nebraska with a total storage capacity of 100 million bushels. The cooperative is constantly investing in upgrades to ensure it has modern, efficient, and safe facilities.
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8 | The DeLong Co.
Grain revenue rank: No. 8 CropLife 100 rank: No. 62 Profile: Headquartered in Clinton, WI, The DeLong Co. operates eight locations in Wisconsin and Illinois and comprises five divisions of agricultural sales and service: agronomy, grain, seed, wholesale distribution and transportation. The DeLong Co.'s grain division is an industry leader in container exports and offers an extensive commercial grain and food grade program.
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7 | Heartland Co-op
Grain revenue rank: No. 7 CropLife 100 rank: No. 40 Profile: Since the early days of the 1900’s, Central Iowa farmers knew they needed a place to market their grain for a fair price. Now, over 100 years later, Heartland Co-op has evolved into the cooperative it is today with 73 locations providing products and services to its farmer members/patrons. Pictured is Heartland Co-op's Randolph, IA location.
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6 | NEW Cooperative
Grain revenue rank: No. 6 CropLife 100 rank: No. 11 Profile: The Iowa-based NEW Cooperative features more than 60 locations across the state. The cooperative was founded by farmers who saw mutual benefits in sharing resources. The direction came from two local co-ops — one with rail capabilities and the other with additional grain to fill those outgoing trains. Photo: NEW Cooperative's Greenville, IA facility.
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5 | Landus Cooperative
Grain revenue rank: No. 5 CropLife 100 rank: No. 23 Profile:Landus is the only ag retailer in the state of Iowa with access to seven different railroads. The coop uses data-driven marketing solutions that connect grain marketing and agronomy purchasing with logistics and operations. Photo: Landus Cooperative Britt, IA location
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4 | Central Valley Ag
Grain revenue rank: No. 4 CropLife 100 rank: No. 12 Profile:Central Valley Ag (CVA) was first formed in 2003 by three Nebraska cooperatives. Since then, CVA has unified with several cooperatives in Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska making it one of the strongest cooperatives in the Midwest. CVA has strategically positioned itself on both the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad lines. These connections allow the cooperative to market grain to all major export, feeder, and destination processor markets west of the Mississippi. Photo: Central Valley Ag's Randolph, NE location.
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3 | Agtegra Cooperative
Grain revenue rank: No. 3 CropLife 100 rank: No. 9 Profile:Agtegra Cooperative is an innovative, farmer-owned grain and agronomy cooperative with more than 6,700 active member-owners in eastern North and South Dakota. From grain marketing to storage, Agtegra connects member-owners to efficient, convenient and profitable grain solutions – with a constant eye toward the future. Photo: Agtegra Warner facility.
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2 | GROWMARK
Grain revenue rank: No. 2 CropLife 100 rank: No. 3 Profile:GROWMARK's partnership with COFCO International provides a new market for GROWMARK members and customers and opens strategic partnerships around the world. The cooperative also offer grain marketing services through its subsidiary, MID-CO COMMODITIES.
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1 | CHS
Grain revenue rank: No. 1 CropLife 100 rank: No. 6 Profile:CHS operates a far-reaching network from our headquarters in Inver Grove Heights, MN, to global grain offices in North America, South America, Europe and Asia.
To view the full CropLife 100 list, including historical rankings, visit www.croplife.com/top100.
That’s not to say we don’t ask CropLife 100 survey recipients to provide us with grain sales information. We do. It’s become a valuable part of truly understanding each company’s entire revenue profile. Most of these retailers are part of a global grain network, ensuring a year-round supply for their customers amid a host of ever-changing factors that impact the market.
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According to a report from CoBank, “The most interesting story of the next decade to watch will be the evolution of global grain markets in terms of trade patterns, crop mix, regional production shifts, biofuel mandates, and animal protein consumption in emerging markets.”
Despite these ongoing challenges, there are plenty of opportunities for grain elevators to improve margins in the years ahead. And if 2023 is any indication, leading the way in grain elevator revenue will be the 10 companies featured in the slideshow above (listed in reverse order of sales). These ag retailers combined generated $23.6 billion in total sales from grain revenue, which accounted for 71% of total CropLife 100 grain sales.
885Top 10 Ag Retailers With the Most Grain Elevator Revenue
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In today’s complex and fast-paced crop production sector, the team at CROPLIFE keeps 21,000 agricultural retailers, distributors and their suppliers up to date on such decidedly 21st century issues as seed technology, biotechnology, precision agriculture, customer service and retention, and business management. See all author stories here.