Wilbur-Ellis Agribusiness

What Wilbur-Ellis Agribusiness does

Wilbur-Ellis Agribusiness is the U.S. agricultural inputs distribution division of the 1921-founded, family-owned Wilbur-Ellis Company. The division markets crop protection products, fertilizers, seed, adjuvants, and specialty agricultural inputs to commercial growers across more than 250 crop segments, including row crops, tree fruit, vegetables, nuts, and grapes/berries, with an additional Pro Markets division serving non-agricultural professional segments such as turf, ornamental, and vegetation management. Operated through 170+ branch locations organized into five U.S. geographic regions, with the Agribusiness headquarters relocated from Walnut Creek, California to Denver, Colorado in 2014-2015 as part of the 'Alignment for Growth' strategy.

The company's underlying capabilities combine a proprietary branded product portfolio (ECO ADVANTAGE adjuvant platform, INTEGRA and Harvest Bounty seed brands, VAQUERO herbicide, AQUATE water management technology, and BRONC TRIPLE-style deposition technology), in-house manufacturing/blending assets (a 22,000-ton dry fertilizer facility at Moses Lake, WA and an aqua ammonia/ammonium phosphate site at Central Ferry, WA), and a digital agronomy platform called AgVerdict that integrates Planet Labs satellite imagery and Ceres Imaging aerial imagery. Hardware-adjacent services include soil and tissue sampling, water management consulting, field scouting, and ground/aerial application. The venture arm Cavallo Ventures provides minority investment exposure to agtech (e.g., vineyard SaaS AgCode).

Revenue mechanics are dominated by one-time product sales of crop inputs distributed via direct field sales, the branch retail network, a wholesale partner program, and the Pro Markets channel, with WE Ag Finance providing embedded input financing as a recurring relationship layer. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company has executed a steady cadence of regional ag-retail and seed-business acquisitions since 1999 (including Helm Fertilizers, John Pryor, Hughson Chemical, Woodburn, Krech Dakota, Ag Supply, Blue River Ag, Orange Belt, Poynter's, Aero Spray Services, Lacey's Farmacy, The Seed House, and Ag Consulting Group), though deal values are undisclosed. The largest verifiable revenue reference is $3.1 billion in total company sales from a 2016 press release, with the Agribusiness Division itself disclosed at over $2 billion.

Name

Wilbur-Ellis Agribusiness

Legal name

Wilbur-Ellis Company LLC

Website

https://wilburellisagribusiness.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Wilbur-Ellis Agribusiness distributes crop protection products, fertilizers, seed, and proprietary adjuvants to U.S. commercial growers across 250+ crop segments through 170+ branch locations, supported by an AgVerdict digital agronomy platform with satellite and aerial imagery, the WE Ag Finance input financing program, and a dedicated Pro Markets non-agricultural division.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Crop Input Distribution

NAICS

Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (42491), Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (44424), Pesticide and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing (325320)

SIC

Agricultural Chemicals (2870), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Agronomy Advisory & Field Services (Retailer-Affiliated) (AFABAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Crop Protection Product Retail (Herbicides/Insecticides/Fungicides) (AFABAJAE), Seed & Trait Distribution (Dealer Networks) (AFABAJAD), Irrigation & Water Management Input Retail (Drip Consumables, Fertigation) (AFABAJAI)

Keywords

• Crop protection products
• Plant nutrition fertilizers
• Agricultural seed solutions
• Adjuvant formulations
• Precision agriculture platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Crop Protection Products: Sale of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and nematicides through direct sales force and branch network. Revenue generated from product sales with pricing based on quantity and formulation type.
2. Fertilizers and Plant Nutrition: Sale of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, micro/macro nutrients, humic acid, fulvic acid, biologicals, and nitrogen stabilizers. Includes both liquid and dry fertilizer products.
3. Seed and Seed Treatments: Sale of seed products including INTEGRA Seed and Harvest Bounty Seed brands, plus seed treatment products for potatoes, small grains, pulse crops, corn, soybeans, and cotton.
4. Adjuvants and Specialty Products: Sale of proprietary adjuvant products including spreaders, stickers, water conditioners, and surfactant blends. Products include branded technologies like ECO ADVANTAGE platform.
5. Agricultural Financing (WE Ag Finance): Input financing services enabling growers to purchase agricultural products. Competitive rates and input prices offered to support customer operations.
6. Wholesale Distribution: Wholesale distribution of branded products, adjuvants, chemicals, and nutrition products to agricultural retailers on a large scale within Wholesale Hub Radius.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Wilbur-Ellis Agribusiness distributes and supports crop protection products (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, nematicides), plant nutrition (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, micronutrients, biologicals), proprietary seed brands, and a proprietary line of adjuvants, complemented by field technology services (soil/tissue sampling, scouting, imagery) and the AgVerdict precision agriculture platform. Offerings are delivered to commercial growers, retailers, and Pro Markets customers via a 170+ U.S. branch network, supported by WE Ag Finance input financing.

Product overview

Wilbur-Ellis Agribusiness operates as a comprehensive agricultural solutions provider with a portfolio spanning adjuvants, crop protection actives, plant nutrition, seed treatments, and seed brands (INTEGRA Seed and Harvest Bounty Seed), supported by digital agriculture platform AgVerdict and financing services. The company offers over 291 branded product solutions, with adjuvants representing a significant portion of proprietary formulations. Field technology services include soil sampling, tissue sampling, water management, field scouting, and imagery, while the AgVerdict platform delivers satellite-powered field monitoring and decision support. The product architecture combines physical agricultural inputs (crop protection, nutrition, seeds) with digital decision tools and financing, unified through regional branch locations serving over 250 crop segments across the U.S.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• INTEGRA Seed: Seed brand offering for growers
• Harvest Bounty Seed
• AgVerdict
• WE Ag Finance
• Cavallo Ventures
• ECO ADVANTAGE
• Pro Markets

Products and services

• AgVerdict Digital Agriculture Platform Cloud-based agricultural data and decision-making platform that combines field-specific data with agronomist expertise for strategic planning, GPS tracking, input usage monitoring, and performance tracking across over 250 crop segments.
• INTEGRA Seed Seed brand offering covering row crop and specialty seed varieties for commercial growers.
• Harvest Bounty Seed Seed brand providing seed products for agricultural operations, including row crops and cover crops.
• VAQUERO Herbicide Proprietary clethodim formulation with high active ingredient load and state-of-the-art surfactant technology for fast, consistent volunteer corn and grass control.
• ECO ADVANTAGE Adjuvant Platform Proprietary branded platform of adjuvant products offering outstanding spray performance with aquatically labeled use, improved safety and handling, and NPE-free formulations across spreader, sticker, surfactant, deposition, drift control, and water conditioning chemistries.
• EMBRECE-EA Adjuvant NPE-free surfactant blend from the ECO ADVANTAGE platform that increases wetting and spreading to elevate fungicide, insecticide and miticide performance.
• EFFICAX Adjuvant Adjuvant engineered to help growers optimize the performance of soil-applied residual herbicides.
• AQUATE Water Management Adjuvants Proprietary soil surfactant adjuvant line including AQUATE MAXX and AQUATE PRO L that improves moisture retention in root zones, holds nutrients in place, and reduces plant stress across a broad range of soil types and turf applications.
• WE Ag Finance Input Financing Proprietary input financing program supporting agricultural operations with competitive rates and input prices, with all Wilbur-Ellis input products and services eligible for financing subject to credit review and approval.
• Field Technology Services Suite of agronomic field services including soil sampling, tissue sampling, water management, field scouting, and imagery delivered through the branch network and AgVerdict digital platform.
• Application Services Professional ground application and range and pasture application services delivered through the branch network and aerial application operations.
• Branded Adjuvant Product Line Proprietary branded adjuvant SKUs including R-11, GLACIER-EA, RAINIER-EA, REGUARD, RENEGADE-EA, RETRIBUTION, CYNDER, TRI-FOL, SYL-COAT, SYL-TAC-EA, INFOLIUM-EA, HASTEN-EA, DILIGENCE, ANTERO-EA, and others serving spreader, sticker, drift control, water conditioning, deposition, and OMRI/NOP compliant organic adjuvant needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• SDSU study: just four volunteer corn plants per 100 feet of soybeans could reduce yield by 5%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Ceres ImagingcoreTechnology or Integration · 24 January 2020Partnership to deliver aerial imagery technology to Wilbur-Ellis customers. Ceres Imaging provides aerial imagery that helps growers make proactive decisions to maximize resources. Wilbur-Ellis distributes and uses the technology in core markets throughout the United States.
• AgrauxinecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 13 January 2020Distribution partnership for ROMEO fungicide, an innovative biological fungicide product. Wilbur-Ellis serves as distributor in California, Washington, Oregon, Michigan, and Texas.
• Planet LabscoreTechnology or Integration · 2 February 2015Agreement to bring satellite imagery to the AgVerdict software platform. Ultra-compact satellites scan the planet every 24 hours, improving delivery of satellite imagery to growers in minutes rather than days.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bayer (Crop Science): Bayer Crop Science is a global agricultural input leader combining seeds (formerly Monsanto), crop protection chemistries, and digital farming (Climate FieldView). Competes with Wilbur-Ellis at the manufacturer level and increasingly at the digital agronomy layer.
• FMC Corporation: FMC is a global agricultural sciences company manufacturing insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides that flow through Wilbur-Ellis and competing distributors. Upstream supplier/incumbent with overlapping crop protection chemistry portfolios.
• CHS Inc. CHS is a large U.S. agricultural cooperative and one of the largest crop input retailers in the country, with significant overlap in crop protection, fertilizer, and seed distribution. Broader incumbent with energy, grain, and food processing operations beyond Wilbur-Ellis's narrower focus.
• Corteva: Corteva is a global seed and crop protection company producing Pioneer and Brevant seeds plus herbicides and insecticides. Overlaps with Wilbur-Ellis in crop protection distribution and seed brand competition at the manufacturer level.

Direct peers

• WinField United (Land O'Lakes): WinField United is the crop input business of Land O'Lakes, offering crop protection, fertilizer, seed, and the Answer Plot and Answer Tech digital platforms through a cooperative-anchored retail network. Direct peer with comparable product breadth and digital agronomy capabilities.
• Nutrien Ag Solutions: Nutrien Ag Solutions (formerly Crop Production Services) is the largest agricultural retailer in North America, operating a similar full-line crop input distribution model with crop protection, fertilizer, seed, and digital agronomy tools. Directly comparable in business model, customer base (commercial growers), and branch-network GTM strategy.
• Helena Agri-Enterprises: Helena is a major U.S. agricultural inputs distributor with a particularly strong proprietary adjuvant and specialty products business (Helena Products Group). Directly comparable as a competing crop protection, fertilizer, and seed distributor with a similar agronomist-led model.
• Simplot Grower Solutions: J.R. Simplot's Grower Solutions division operates a retail agricultural input network across the Western U.S., offering crop protection, fertilizer, seed, and agronomic services. Direct peer with similar geographic and product overlap, particularly in Pacific Northwest markets where Wilbur-Ellis also operates.
• Growmark: Growmark is a U.S. agricultural cooperative providing crop protection, fertilizer, seed, and agronomy services to member-owners across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Direct peer operating a similar multi-state branch-retail model with comparable products and customer base.

Emerging players

• Loveland Products (Nutrien): Loveland Products is Nutrien's proprietary crop input and adjuvant brand, directly competing with Wilbur-Ellis's ECO ADVANTAGE platform and seed treatment portfolio. Emerging/specialty peer with particular overlap in adjuvant formulations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WilburEllisAg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/WilburEllisCompany
• Facebookfacebook.com/wilburellisag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wilbur-ellis-agribusiness
• Instagraminstagram.com/wilburellisag

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Wilbur-Ellis Agribusiness