The votes are in, and owners of both Land O’Lakes, Inc. and United Suppliers, Inc. are in agreement. The companies reportedly saw an overwhelming approval for a merger of United Suppliers with Land O’Lakes’ Crop Inputs Business.
“This merger will allow us to continue to meet our customers’ needs through each company’s successful go-to-market strategy while providing for the size and scale to compete in an environment of consolidating suppliers and competitors,” Chris Policinski, President and CEO of Land O'Lakes, Inc. said in a press release. “We are excited to bring our WinField business and United Suppliers together, and expect our members, owners and customers will benefit greatly from this merger.”
According to Land O'Lakes, the merger will build on the recent successes of the two companies, aiming to create a single, relevant and competitive system of independent agricultural retailers.
WinField had $4.9 billion in seed and crop protection product sales last year, while United Suppliers had $2.6 billion in crop protection, seed and crop nutrient sales for a combined $7.5 billion in 2014 sales.
“Both organizations exist to increase our customers’ capabilities and competitiveness,” Brad Oelmann, President and CEO of United Suppliers, Inc., commented. “By coming together, we are true to our shared purpose, and we also preserve our different approaches to best serve a wide variety of customer needs. Together, we are positioned to protect and build the future of independent agricultural operations in an environment of consolidation.”
Below is a video that details some of what United Solutions does, particularly for crop stress mitigation.
According to the companies, the first step of the merger will be to combine the two companies’ seed and crop protection businesses under Winfield US, LLC. The second step will be to merge the crop nutrient business, with closing expected to take place in October of this year.
