In 2023, 31 companies in the United States, Mexico and Canada reached or exceeded 1 million metric tons (MMT) of compound feed production, according to WATT Global Media’s Top Feed Companies database. Together, these North American companies manufactured 110,486 MMT of compound feed in 2023 and ranked among 148 companies worldwide that made the 2024 list.
WATT Global Media’s research team compiles exclusive feed industry insights, including the production volumes and other data points, to populate its Top Feed Companies database and uses it to generate Feed Strategy’s and Feed & Grain’s annual listing.
To capture the most accurate information, the data and analysis found in the Top Feed Companies report focuses on the previous calendar year’s compound feed volumes.
Worldwide, the Top Feed Companies manufactured a total of 560,933 MMT of compound feed in 2023, or 43% of the 1.29 billion metric tons of total global production estimate from Alltech’s 2024 Agri-food Outlook.
From a U.S. perspective, a majority of the firms featured on the list are based in the Midwest (13) and Atlantic regions (6). North American-wide, two are in Mexico and one is in Canada.
The research team made one change to the Top Feed Company's ranking table and now includes subsidiaries and their tonnage under the parent company's listing, showing their contribution to the sum. In previous editions, subsidiaries were excluded and their tonnage was included in the parent company's total.
North American Top Feed Companies highlights:
- Oakwood, Georgia-based Wayne-Sanderson Farms moved up from No. 5 to No. 4 in 2024. Wayne-Sanderson Farms entered the North American Top Companies list last year as the result of a 2022 merger between Sanderson and Wayne Farms.
- Smithfield Foods, a subsidiary of Hong Kong’s WH Group, is a new addition at No. 6 to the North American Top Feed Companies list. The Smithfield, Virginia-based company’s feed production was previously included in WH Group’s total. However, subsidiaries’ feed tonnage is now tabulated independently in the World’s Top Companies list.
- Merriam, Kansas-based Seaboard Foods fell 8 spots from 2022 to No. 16 this year, due to a decrease in production of more than 1 MMT. Cooper Farms, of Fort Recovery, Ohio, fell four spots to No. 29, despite decreasing its production by a mere 83,000 metric tons.
- The North American Top Feed Companies increased total feed production by 5.5 MMT from last year, largely attributable to the addition of Smithfield Foods to the list.
- Data on the number of feed mills was reported for 22 of the 31 companies, totaling 571. Cargill’s 211 feed mills account for a considerable percentage of the North American Top Feed Companies’ feed mills, with ADM having the second-highest number of mills at 82 and Alltech trailing close behind at 77.
6 companies approach 1 MMT of compound feed production
There are six North American companies worth watching in the coming years that charted volumes upward of 800,000 metric tons of compound feed production in 2023. These six may be contenders for ranking on the next North American Top Feed Companies.
Editor's note: The World's Top Feed Companies report was drawn from WATT Global Media's Top Feed Companies database, compiled from research and a survey overseen by Bruce Plantz and Denise O’Keefe. Feed consultant Yu Yu also contributed to the project. Please direct comments or questions to [email protected].
