Farm Support Services Industry Overview

Excerpt from Farm Support Services Report

Companies in this industry provide crop support services, such as planting and harvesting, and livestock support services, such as breeding. No major companies dominate the industry.

Competitive Landscape

Demand is driven by domestic trends in crop and livestock production. The profitability of individual companies depends on establishing a value-added benefit to farms and keeping wages low. Large companies have advantages in vertical integration and in offering a wide range of services. Small companies can compete effectively by specializing in a niche industry or service.

Products, Operations & Technology

Major services include post-harvest crop activities like drying, cleaning, shelling, sorting, grading, and packing; and animal support activities like breeding livestock and pets, boarding and training horses, spraying cattle with insecticides, and stud services. Other offerings include soil preparation services like plowing and fertilizing; planting, cultivating, and protecting crops; machine-harvesting crops; cotton ginning; and farm labor contracting.