7.1.4.1Vertical

Animal Feed & Nutrition Products

Manufacturers and distributors of livestock and poultry feed.

Market snapshot

These figures describe Agricultural Inputs & Supplies (7.1.4), the segment that Animal Feed & Nutrition Products sits within. They are not figures for Animal Feed & Nutrition Products on its own.

Market size
~$207B
Growth
~8.0%CAGR (2017–22, nominal)
Companies
~4,906 firms
Firms by employee count

80.6% of firms have fewer than 20 employees: 3,956 micro-businesses, below most mandates.

The investable universe950 firms with 20+ employees
20–99
63066%
100–499
23325%
500+
879%

Fertilizer and crop-protection distribution repriced hard with natural gas, since gas is the feedstock for nitrogen. Distributors pass that through, so the growth flatters a business whose real economics are working capital and agronomic advice rather than the product itself.

NAICS 424910. U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Statistics of U.S. Businesses; U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Economic Census.

Business model & economics

Revenue model

Seed, fertilizer, crop-protection, and supply distribution

Key economics

Revenue per firm
$42,186,279
Revenue per employee
$1,847,827
Employees per firm
21.6
Recurring revenue
Moderate–High

recurring seasonal input demand

EBITDA margin
Thin product; richer agronomy/precision services
Capex intensity
Moderate

Characteristics

  • Scale-driven: payroll is only 4% of revenue, so the cost base is assets, not headcount
  • Moderate strategic-buyer pool: 87 firms exceed 500 employees, so a scaled asset has buyers, but not many
  • Led by Nutrien Ag Solutions, Helena, Wilbur-Ellis.
  • Growth inflated by 2021–22 input prices.
  • Channel for precision-ag, biologicals, and agronomy.

NAICS 424910. U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Statistics of U.S. Businesses; U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Economic Census.

Geographic concentration

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaColoradoFloridaGeorgiaIndianaKansasMaineMassachusettsMinnesotaNew JerseyNorth CarolinaOklahomaPennsylvaniaTexasWyomingConnecticutMissouriWest VirginiaIllinoisNew MexicoArkansasCaliforniaDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaHawaiiKentuckyMarylandMichiganMississippiMontanaNew HampshireNew YorkOhioOregonTennesseeUtahVirginiaWashingtonWisconsinNebraskaSouth CarolinaIdahoNevadaVermontLouisianaRhode IslandNorth DakotaSouth DakotaIowa

South Dakota and North Dakota carry eight times the national concentration of input suppliers, with Iowa third. Fertilizer and chemical distribution follows planted acres, and these states have the most acres per business.

South DakotaNorth DakotaIowa

U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Statistics of U.S. Businesses (firms by state), NAICS 424910. Concentration shown by location quotient.

M&A deal context

Deal activityHigh

Who’s acquiring

  • Ag-retail majors
  • Cooperatives & regional consolidators
  • Precision-ag & input platforms

What’s driving deals

  • Roll-up of regional ag retailers.
  • Precision-ag and agronomy-service value.
  • Biologicals and digital-agronomy integration.

Find Animal Feed & Nutrition Products acquisition targets

Search Acquisera’s index for companies classified under Animal Feed & Nutrition Products (7.1.4.1) and build a targeted deal pipeline.

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