Strategic Farm Marketing

What Strategic Farm Marketing does

Strategic Farm Marketing, Inc. (SFM) is a privately held crop insurance and grain marketing agency founded in 1985 and headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. The company sells and services federal multi-peril crop insurance (MPCI) and a broad menu of private endorsements through a distribution network of 40+ licensed agents operating across at least 12 Midwestern states (IL, IN, IA, KY, MI, MN, MO, OH, TN, WI, and additional referenced markets). SFM works with nine agricultural insurance providers — Crop Risk Services, AgriSompo, NAU Country, Great American, Farmers Mutual Hail, RCIS, Hudson, ProAg, and Rain & Hail — using proprietary quoting software and analytical tools to match producers with optimal coverage combinations.

SFM's revenue model rests on three streams: insurance carrier commissions on crop insurance placement, recurring annual fees for grain marketing advisory (on-call counsel, contract expertise, sales organization via the Grain Bridge platform, storage planning, and daily market text alerts), and transaction-fee commodity brokerage executed through its partner sub-brand Strategic Farm Futures. Bundled offerings position SFM as an integrated risk management partner for Midwestern row-crop, livestock, and dairy operations rather than a pure insurance distributor. The marketing motion is sales-led and relationship-driven, supplemented by winter risk management seminars, testimonial content, blog/educational material, and social channels.

Underlying technology is modest but operationally meaningful: in-house quoting software that evaluates thousands of policy combinations, analytical decision-support tools, and the Grain Bridge integration that synchronizes acres, yield estimates, and sales execution. Leadership includes President Dave Janson (prior senior merchant at Cargill) and an agent bench with extensive Cargill, ADM, Bunge, INTL FCStone, and agricultural banking experience. SFM is described as locally owned, family-influenced (multiple Janson family members across roles), and one of the largest independent crop insurance agencies in Illinois, with 4.9/5 customer satisfaction across 50 reviews and a 40-year operating history.

Name

Strategic Farm Marketing

Legal name

Strategic Farm Marketing Inc

Website

https://sfarmmarketing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Strategic Farm Marketing is a Champaign, IL-based independent crop insurance and grain marketing agency founded in 1985 that serves Midwestern row-crop, livestock, and dairy farmers across 12 U.S. states via a 40+ agent network spanning nine insurance carriers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Crop Insurance and Grain Marketing Services

NAICS

Farm Management Services (115116)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Commodity Contracts Brokers & Dealers (6221)

akta.pro primary industry

Farm Risk Management & Insurance Advisory (AFACAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Supply Chain, Marketing & Contracting Advisory (Grain/Livestock Marketing) (AFACAJAH), Crop & Farm Property Insurance (FSAJACAK), Farm Financial Management & Recordkeeping Services (AFACAJAC), Agricultural Commodities Exchanges (Grains, Oilseeds, Livestock) (FSAFAMAA)

Keywords

• Crop insurance agency
• Grain marketing services
• Commodity brokerage
• Farm risk management
• Agricultural insurance advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Champaign

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Crop Insurance Commissions: The company earns commissions from selling crop insurance policies through 9 different agricultural insurance providers including Crop Risk Services, AgriSompo, NAU, Great American, Farmer's Mutual Hail, RCIS, Hudson, ProAg, and Rain & Hail
2. Grain Marketing Services: Annual fee-based service where marketing specialists assist producers with grain marketing plans, including on-call marketing counsel, contract expertise, sales organization, storage planning, and market text alerts
3. Commodity Brokerage Services: Futures and options brokerage services provided through partner company Strategic Farm Futures

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Strategic Farm Marketing is a crop insurance agency and grain marketing services firm serving Midwestern agricultural producers. The company places federal and private crop insurance policies through nine agricultural insurance providers, delivers subscription-based grain marketing advisory services, and offers commodity brokerage via partner Strategic Farm Futures. Its integrated offering combines crop insurance placement, grain marketing strategy, and futures/options brokerage into a holistic farm risk management program.

Product overview

Strategic Farm Marketing (SFM) operates as a crop insurance agency and grain marketing services firm, offering a portfolio of three interconnected core services: Crop Insurance Services, Farm Risk Management, and Grain Marketing Services. The Crop Insurance Services product line is divided into two sub-lines — Federal Products (federal MPCI products such as RP, YP, SCO, ECO, MCO, ARP, MP, PRF, DRP, LGM, and LRP) and Private Products (crop-hail and private endorsement products from providers including FMH, AgriSompo, Hudson, NAU, Great American, ProAg, Farmers Mutual Hail, and RCIS). The Farm Risk Management product combines futures/options brokerage with cash marketing advice and crop insurance. The Grain Marketing Services product provides producers with a dedicated marketing specialist for plan development, sales organization through Grain Bridge, and market alerts. The company also hosts Risk Management Seminars as a supplementary education program. All three core products are tied together through the company's quoting software and analytical tools, enabling integrated crop insurance and grain marketing strategy development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Strategic Farm Futures: Partner company offering commodity brokerage services through futures and options brokerage

Products and services

• Crop Insurance Services
• Federal Crop Insurance Products
• Private Crop Insurance Products
• Farm Risk Management
• Grain Marketing Services
• Risk Management Seminars

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.9 out of 5 star rating from 50 customer reviews

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Strategic Farm FuturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic Farm Futures is the commodity brokerage and futures/options arm of the company, providing futures and options trading services alongside crop insurance and grain marketing. Dave Chatterton heads up the firm's Futures & Options trading desk.
• Crop Risk ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 9 agricultural insurance providers that SFM writes crop insurance policies through, offering federal and private crop insurance products to producers.
• AgriSompocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgricultural insurance provider offering products including BAND ECO Offset coverage through SFM's agent network.
• NAU Country Insurance CompanycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgricultural insurance provider offering EASYeco and other private crop insurance products through SFM's distribution network.
• Great American Insurance GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInsurance provider offering GAP Yield and other private crop insurance products through SFM's agent network.
• RCIScoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgricultural insurance provider offering RPP (Revenue Protection Policy) and other crop insurance products.
• Farmers Mutual HailcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgricultural insurance provider offering RAMP coverage and crop hail insurance through SFM's network.
• Hudson Insurance GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInsurance provider offering MyECO, BRP, and CLIP private crop insurance products through SFM.
• ProAgcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgricultural insurance provider offering AIM and ICE private crop insurance products through SFM's distribution.
• Rain and Hail Insurance Service InccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgricultural insurance provider offering RPO with MCO products through SFM's agent network.
• Grain BridgesupportingTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform partnership that keeps acres, yield estimates, and all sales current so SFM clients are always aware of their marketing position for each crop.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Compeer Financial: Farm Credit System cooperative serving Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin that places crop insurance with multiple carriers and bundles it with lending — directly competing with SFM for the same Midwestern row-crop producer.
• Hoblit Commodity Services: Midwestern grain marketing and commodity brokerage advisory serving corn and soybean producers with marketing plans and futures execution — directly comparable to SFM's Strategic Farm Futures and grain marketing services.
• COUNTRY Financial: Regional Midwestern insurance and financial services provider (formerly Country Companies) that markets crop insurance, farm property, and grain marketing-adjacent risk products to row-crop farmers in many of the same states SFM serves.
• Allendale Inc. Agricultural advisory and brokerage firm offering grain marketing guidance, market research, and futures execution to Midwest farmers — comparable to SFM's combined grain marketing and brokerage offering.
• GreenStone Farm Credit Services: Farm Credit System cooperative offering crop insurance, tax, and accounting services to producers in Michigan and Wisconsin — competing for the same multi-state row-crop insurance dollar as SFM.
• Silveus Insurance Group: Large independent crop insurance agency placing policies with multiple carriers across the Midwest — a structural analog to SFM as a multi-carrier independent agency competing for the same producers.
• Farm Credit Services of America: Farm Credit System lender offering multi-peril crop insurance and hail coverage across the Midwest and Plains, overlapping with SFM's core crop insurance placement value proposition.
• AgCountry Farm Credit Services: Farm Credit cooperative providing crop insurance and risk management products to farmers in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin — a comparable placement-channel competitor to SFM's agent network.

Broad incumbents

• ProAg: One of SFM's nine carrier partners that also sells crop insurance through its own agency channel — a carrier-incumbent that competes with SFM by offering direct placement to producers in the same footprint.
• Hudson Insurance Group: Multi-line specialty insurer that underwrites private crop insurance products (MyECO, BRP, CLIP) carried by SFM and operates its own agency distribution — competing as both a partner and a rival.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/StrategicFarmMarketing
• Instagraminstagram.com/sfarmmarketing
• Xx.com/sfarmmarketing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/strategic-farm-marketing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Strategic Farm Marketing