What Kifco does

Kifco, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned manufacturer of portable hard-hose traveling irrigation systems, founded in 1964 and headquartered in Havana, Illinois. The company's core product is the trademarked Water-Reel — a hard-hose traveler that uses water pressure (turbine drive) or an auxiliary engine to pull a sprinkler cart across a field while rewinding the supply hose, available in B-Series (irrigating 0.5-3.2 acres per run) and Ag-Rain (3-11 acres per run, up to 1,000+ acres for the largest models). Engine-drive variants can handle wastewater with up to 3% solids, extending the addressable use cases to slurry redistribution and de-watering. The company also manufactures companion pumps (booster, primary, PTO, and slurry), MDPE tubing from virgin material, and the Avi-FoamGuard line of foam-based avian influenza containment systems for floor-reared poultry operations.

Kifco sells exclusively through an authorized dealer network spanning nearly every US state plus Canada, Mexico, and parts of the Caribbean, supported by five regional sales managers (Eastern, Southeastern, Midwest, Western US, and Latin America/Caribbean), Kifco University dealer training, and a Find a Dealer tool on kifco.com. End customers are highly fragmented across agricultural and farming (primary segment), sports fields, equestrian arenas, turf and landscape, industrial dust suppression, wastewater redistribution, and poultry biosecurity. Aftermarket support is a meaningful component of the business model, with 3,000+ spare parts maintained for machines with reported 20+ year service lives. Pricing is quote-based, not publicly disclosed, and is set through dealers rather than direct-to-customer channels.

The company is controlled by owner Chris Clevenger (who led a 2008 management buyout from a prior outside ownership group) and led since 2018 by CEO Allen Mitchel. The operating team of approximately 11-50 employees is concentrated at the Havana, IL facility, with an additional sales presence in Guadalajara, Mexico. Revenue, funding, and detailed financials are not publicly disclosed. The company is not venture-backed and has not undertaken any reported acquisitions, divestitures, or public capital markets activity.

Name

Kifco

Legal name

Kifco, Inc.

Website

https://kifco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kifco is a family-owned, Havana, Illinois-based manufacturer of portable hard-hose traveling irrigation systems (Water-Reels), pumps, and poultry biosecurity equipment, selling exclusively through an authorized dealer network to agricultural, sports field, equestrian, and industrial customers across North America and Latin America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Irrigation Equipment

NAICS

Pump and Compressor Manufacturing (33391), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Measuring, Dispensing, and Other Pumping Equipment Manufacturing (333914), Fluid Power Pump and Motor Manufacturing (333996)

SIC

Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523), Pumps & Pumping Equipment (3561)

akta.pro primary industry

Irrigation Design, Installation & Maintenance Services (Engineering, Retrofit, Repair) (AFAAACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pump, Well & Booster System Service for Irrigation (HSAIAEAI), Irrigation & Outdoor Plumbing Products (IMADALAI)

Keywords

• Portable irrigation systems
• Traveling sprinkler reels
• Agricultural irrigation equipment
• Hard hose water reels
• Poultry biosecurity equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Havana

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Water-Reel Irrigation Systems: Sale of portable traveling irrigation machines including B-Series and Ag-Rain models for irrigating 0.5 acres to 1000+ acres
2. Pumps and Accessories: Sale of companion pumps including booster pumps, primary pumps, PTO pumps, and slurry/wastewater pumps with various horsepower options
3. Avi-FoamGuard Systems: Sale of poultry disease containment equipment including AV-AA3, AV-E210, AV-ST3, and AV-STC models
4. Parts and Support: Over 3,000 spare parts available for maintenance and repair of Kifco equipment
5. Sprinklers and Accessories: Sale of sprinklers including Nelson Big Gun, Komet, and Sime brands along with hose clamps and other accessories

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Kifco manufactures and supplies portable hard-hose traveling irrigation systems, trademarked as Water-Reels, for agricultural, sports field, equestrian, turf/landscape, and industrial dust suppression applications. The company also produces companion pumps, the Avi-FoamGuard poultry biosecurity system, MDPE tubing, sprinklers, and over 3,000 spare parts to support its installed base. All Water-Reels and pumps are sold exclusively through an authorized dealer network in North America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Water-Reel: The premier hard hose traveling irrigation system trademarked by Kifco, used for portable irrigation, dust suppression, leaching, and de-watering
• Avi-FoamGuard
• Kifco Pumps
• B-Series Water-Reels
• Ag-Rain Water-Reels

Products and services

• Water-Reels (B-Series and Ag-Rain) Kifco Water-Reels are the premier hard hose traveling irrigation systems used worldwide for portable irrigation, dust suppression, leaching, and de-watering. The B-Series irrigates from 0.5 to 3.2 acres per run with a variety of models and drive options, proudly made in the USA. Ag-Rain Water-Reels irrigate 3 to 11 acres per run, available in turbine and engine drive options, suited to fields with irregular shapes, large turf areas, and slurry or wastewater distribution.
• Kifco Pumps Kifco offers a wide range of pump options to power Water-Reels and maximize traveler performance, including booster pumps, primary pumps (small and medium, air-cooled and engine driven), PTO pumps, and FRT slurry/wastewater pumps. Custom-built packages are available for most applications, and the pumps are EPA emissions compliant for irrigation use.
• Avi-FoamGuard Avi-FoamGuard is a vital tool for combating and containing outbreaks of avian influenza and other diseases in floor-reared poultry operations. Multiple models are available depending on poultry operation size and region, with options for self-retracting generator cart operation or hand-held foam application. Models include AV-AA3, AV-E210, AV-ST3, and AV-STC.
• Reel-Design Tool Reel-Design is a dealer-facing design and quotation tool that uses state-of-the-art satellite imagery to map the customer's actual field or area of land, lay out a complete Water-Reel irrigation design, and generate a detailed quotation. It is a first-of-its-kind solution in the traveling irrigation industry.
• Spare Parts and Sprinkler Accessories Kifco maintains an inventory of over 3,000 spare parts for maintenance and repair of Kifco-made machines, along with sprinklers from leading brands (Nelson Big Gun, Komet, Sime) and related accessories such as hose clamps. These parts and accessories support the long service life of the Water-Reel installed base.
• MDPE Tube (Medium Density Polyethylene) Kifco manufactures trusted Medium Density Polyethylene (MDPE) tube from virgin material, containing no recycled plastic materials. The tube is used with Kifco irrigation systems and is engineered to resist freeze/thaw damage, contributing to the long lifespan of Water-Reel installations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Machines with 20+ year lifespan reported by customers
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Authorized Kifco DealerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of authorized dealers across North America (nearly every US state), Canada, Mexico, and Caribbean. Dealers receive training through Kifco University, access to advertising resources, lead sharing, and incentive programs. Dealers handle sales, service, and parts for end customers.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Lindsay Corporation (Zimmatic): Lindsay, via its Zimmatic brand, is a leading center pivot and lateral-move irrigation manufacturer. It addresses the same agricultural irrigation market as Kifco through a different but competing delivery mechanism.
• Rain Bird Corporation: Rain Bird is a global leader in irrigation products (sprinklers, drip, controllers). Kifco's Latin America sales rep previously worked at Rain Bird International, and the two compete for irrigation-system budgets in agriculture, turf, and landscape applications.
• Valley Irrigation (Valmont Industries): Valley is the largest center pivot irrigation manufacturer globally. While the product category (pivots) differs from traveling sprinklers, Valley competes for the same farmer irrigation budget and is the dominant incumbent in large-scale agricultural irrigation.
• Reinke Irrigation: Reinke is a major North American center pivot and mechanized irrigation manufacturer. Like Valley and Zimmatic, it competes for the same farm irrigation capital budget as Kifco's Ag-Rain line.
• Toro Company: Toro is a broad-line irrigation equipment manufacturer with strong distribution in turf, landscape, and agriculture. While not focused on traveling reels, Toro competes for irrigation capital across overlapping end markets including sports fields and turf.

Direct peers

• Nelson Irrigation: Nelson is a leading irrigation sprinkler/nozzle manufacturer whose products (e.g., Big Gun) Kifco resells alongside its own traveling sprinklers. Nelson competes both as a supplier to Kifco and as an independent supplier of large-area sprinklers.
• Bauer Irrigation: Bauer is an Austrian/global manufacturer of hard-hose travelers and irrigation reels, providing comparable traveling sprinkler solutions to agricultural and industrial customers as Kifco.
• Cadman Power Equipment: Cadman is a Canadian manufacturer of hard-hose and soft-hose traveling irrigation reels, hose carts, and pumps — directly competing with Kifco Water-Reels in the portable traveling irrigation category across North America.
• ABI Irrigation: ABI specializes in traveling gun irrigation reels and pumps, competing with Kifco B-Series and Ag-Rain products in agricultural and wastewater applications in North America.
• Ocmis Irrigation: Ocmis is one of the original manufacturers of hard-hose traveling irrigators, headquartered in Italy. Ocmis competes head-to-head with Kifco's Ag-Rain line in agricultural and turf irrigation markets globally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC9lDwPeUPKl0HEh1zx90RFw
• Facebookfacebook.com/Kifco700
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kifco-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kifco