Some Key Takeaways From the CropLife 100 Mid-Year Survey

At the midpoint of 2021, CropLife 100 ag retailers are relatively optimistic that this growing season will have a “more normal” path forward.

Nutrien Ag Solutions delivered a record $109 million in adjusted EBITDA in the first quarter of 2021.

An assessment of the circumstances leading to a dust explosion is underway at the Jefferson, IA, facility.

The CropLife 100 cooperative and Castlen Enterprises have announced significant progress on a new large-scale warehouse distribution center in Owensboro, KY.

In the latest CropLife 100 ranking, eight companies are headquartered in Illinois — the third most of any state.

Steve Becraft, the cooperative’s COO, will assume the President and CEO role on July 1, 2021, following the retirement of Jeff Stroburg.

This expansion includes a new 7,500-ton dry fertilizer building equipped with a 24-ton blender and a NTEP certified Auto-Batch blending system.

Strategy is to implement an alternative to traditional mergers and acquisitions for local cooperatives and independent businesses.

Here are a dozen deals that have most impacted the ag retail landscape since 2016.

Although it may seem odd from a mathematics standpoint, more ag retailers are finding the consolidation math does add up — for them.

Following the addition of Central Valley Ag Cooperative in December, there are now nine CropLife 100 retailers that have joined the CommoditAg Network.

Despite market concerns, micronutrients have maintained steady support from ag retailers and their grower-customers in recent years.

According to the nation’s top ag retailers, growers are mostly “positive” for this year’s financial prospects.

Despite regulatory certainty, most CropLife 100 retailers foresee no growth potential for dicamba applications in the future.

Unlike the other categories within the CropLife 100, crop nutrients ended up losing both sales and market share in 2020.

This compares to net income of $177.9 million in the first quarter of fiscal year 2020.

Although 2020 wasn’t that in focus for many segments of agriculture, crop protection products found a clear path to market gains.

Although anticipation was high for 2020, the seed category saw a very lackluster sales year for the CropLife 100 retailers.