BayWa's roots are in Bavarian farming, but its interests are branching out. BayWa (pronounced bay-vah) is divided into several business units: agriculture (grain and oil fruit trading, fertilizers, insecticides, feed, seed, fresh fruit production), agricultural equipment (farm buildings, machinery, tools), building materials (building components and equipment renewable energy products and services), do-it-yourself (DIY) and garden centers (paint, hardware, tools, fixtures, plants, pet products), energy (gas stations, heating oil, lubricants, mineral oils), and other activities (auto dealerships)....
Coopérative Terrena takes Gallic farmers from farm to market and back again. The cooperative (formerly Groupe CANA, or Coopérative Agricole La Noëlle Ancenis) and its subsidiaries supply 30,000 farmer-members in western France with animal feed, fertilizer, seeds, and fuel....
Friona Industries puts the beef in the Big Mac. Founded in 1962, Friona owns four feedyards in northwestern Texas with a feeding capacity of more than 275,000 head of cattle. Its Agricultural Credit division helps ranchers with cattle and feed financing programs....
Meanwhile, back at the ranch ... the sprawling King Ranch, to be exact. Founded in 1853, King Ranch's operations extend beyond its original 825,000 cattle-raising acres. The ranch is still home to cattle and horses, of course. However, King Ranch oversees considerable farming interests in Texas and elsewhere (cotton, sorghum, sod, citrus, pecans, vegetables, and cane sugar)....
Kuala Lumpur Kepong has a hand in everything from rubber gloves to lotion. The diversified company's plantation sector consists of more than 150,000 hectares (about 371,000 acres), which are devoted to palm oil, rubber, and cocoa. Subsidiary Crabtree & Evelyn sells personal care and home accessory items worldwide....
The Andersons earns its daily bread on a mix of grains, trains, and corncobs. Founded in 1947, the agricultural firm buys, conditions, and resells corn, soybeans, and wheat through elevators and terminals located in the Midwest. The Andersons also runs six retail home-center stores in Ohio that sell home-improvement products, nursery stock, groceries, and other items....
The Connell Company can sell you a boatload of rice or it can help you lease a building to store it in. Connell's core business is rice distribution, conducted through its Connell Rice & Sugar division. Its rice products, both domestically and foreign grown, include milled rice, brown rice, paddy rice; its brand names include East Winds and Snow White....
Weed 'em and feed 'em could be the motto of Wilbur-Ellis Company. A distributor for major chemical companies, Wilbur-Ellis sells animal feed, fertilizer, insecticides, seed, and machinery through outlets in North America. Subsidiary Connell Brothers exports and distributes industrial chemicals throughout the USA....
