What Basin Fertilizer does

Basin Fertilizer & Chemical Co. LLC is an independent, privately-held agricultural retailer and service provider headquartered in Merrill, Oregon, with a second location in McArthur, California. Founded in 1975 by Bob Gasser, Chris Moudry, and Jim Shuck, the company has grown from two employees to over 50 and now services growers across a 250-mile radius spanning Southern/Central Oregon, Northern California, and limited Northern Nevada. Its core offering pairs physical agricultural inputs — conventional and organic fertilizers, crop protection products (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides), bulk soil amendments, and PPE — with field application services (tractor, sprayer, dry spreader, drone-based application) and agronomic consulting delivered by in-house certified crop consultants (PCAs and CCAs).

The company operates a custom blending infrastructure anchored by a Ranco automated declining-weight blender (15-product capacity, liquid impregnation), an MEI metered automated liquid blender (28-product capacity), and a dedicated 8-product organic Ranco blender at its Stronghold facility, converted to organic in 2017. Precision agriculture capability is layered on through variable-rate technology, grid sampling, satellite imagery, auto-boom sprayer control, and certified dealer status for AgLeader and FJDynamics guidance systems. A Grower 360 online portal provides digital access to documents and services, and the company produces a podcast targeting grower audiences.

Revenue is generated through one-time product sales and professional services (application, consulting, precision ag service) on a quote-based, non-publicly-disclosed pricing model. The go-to-market motion is direct-to-grower via the in-house PCA/CCA crop consultant team, with no third-party retail channel. The company is independent, with no external investors or parent, and participates in CNI (distribution), IAP (national cooperative of 31 retailers), ARA, and Western Plant Health industry associations. Basin Fertilizer maintains Oregon and California applicator licenses and provides Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) compliance documentation, including 2024 GAP declarations.

Name

Basin Fertilizer

Legal name

Basin Fertilizer & Chemical Co. LLC

Website

https://basinfertilizer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Basin Fertilizer is an independent, privately-held agricultural retailer founded in 1975 that provides fertilizers, crop protection products, custom blending (conventional and organic), field application services, and PCA/CCA agronomic consulting to growers across Northern California and Southern/Central Oregon.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Retail & Crop Input Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (11511), Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing (325314)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Agricultural Chemicals (2870)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Fertilizer & Nutrient Retail (Dry, Liquid, Blends) (AFABAJAF), Crop Protection Product Retail (Herbicides/Insecticides/Fungicides) (AFABAJAE), Crop Spraying & Chemical Application Services (Ground Rig) (AFACAAAB), Contract Warehousing, Blending & Distribution for Agrochemicals (bulk handling, IBC/drum management) (AFABAIAL), Fertilizer & Nutrient Application Services (Dry/Fluid, Side-Dress) (AFACAAAC)

Keywords

• Agricultural retail
• Fertilizer blending
• Crop protection products
• Precision agriculture services
• Agronomic consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Merrill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Agricultural Input Sales: Sale of conventional and organic fertilizers, crop protection products (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides), and bulk soil amendments to growers. Products include both liquid and dry fertilizers, pesticides, and specialty agricultural chemicals.
2. Field Application Services: Custom application services including tractor services (rototilling, fumigation, metam-sodium, row-making/shaping, dry and liquid fertilizer banding), field spraying (pesticide and herbicide application), and dry application (broadcast seeding, compost, lime, gypsum spreading).
3. Precision Agriculture Services: Guidance system service and sales, grid sampling, satellite imagery, site-specific management, and certified dealer support for AgLeader and FJDynamics products.
4. Consulting Services: Agronomic consulting including field and crop services, pest identification and control, IPM, soil/water/tissue sampling, and fertility plans provided by certified crop consultants (PCAs and CCAs).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Basin Fertilizer & Chemical Co. LLC sells conventional and organic crop nutrition products (fertilizers, soil amendments), crop protection products (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides), and PPE, and delivers them alongside custom fertilizer blending, precision agriculture, and field application services. The company tagline is 'Service Is Our Main Product,' with certified crop consultants (PCAs and CCAs) providing on-site agronomic advice and professional application across a 250-mile service radius in Northern California and Southern/Central Oregon.

Product overview

Basin Fertilizer & Chemical Co. LLC provides field services and agronomic solutions for conventional and organic production agriculture in Northern California and Southern/Central Oregon. The company operates as a service provider with a portfolio of complementary offerings: Tractor Services, Field Sprayer Services, Dry Application Services, Precision Ag Services (including guidance systems, grid sampling, and satellite imagery), Consulting Services (IPM, soil/water/tissue sampling), Fertilizer Blending (both conventional and organic formulations), Parts & Equipment sales, Ag Drone Services, and the Grower 360 online portal. On the products side, the company offers Conventional Crop Nutrition, Organic Crop Nutrition, Crop Protection Products, Bulk Soil Amendments, and PPE Products. The business model centers on providing these services alongside the physical products, with the tagline 'Service Is Our Main Product.'

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Conventional Crop Nutrition Conventional crop nutrition products (liquid and dry fertilizers) for conventional farming operations in Northern California and Southern/Central Oregon.
• Organic Crop Nutrition Certified organic crop nutrition products for organic agricultural production, supported by the dedicated Stronghold organic facility.
• Crop Protection Products Crop protection products including pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides for agricultural applications.
• Bulk Soil Amendments Bulk soil amendment products for soil health improvement and fertility management.
• Tractor Services Agricultural tractor services including rototilling, fumigation with Metam-Sodium, variable-rate capabilities, row-making/shaping, and dry & liquid fertilizer banding for growers.
• Field Sprayer Services Field spraying using John Deere Row & Field Crop Sprayers with auto-boom technology for pesticide, herbicide, insecticide, fungicide, and liquid fertilizer application across crop and non-crop areas.
• Dry Application Services Dry fertilizer and amendment application using Case-IH Titan Air-Flow and Spinner Spreaders, including broadcast seeding, compost, lime, and gypsum application.
• Precision Ag Services Precision agriculture services including guidance system sales and service, grid sampling, variable-rate technology, site-specific management, and satellite imagery analysis.
• Agronomic Consulting Services Agronomic consulting including field & crop services, pest identification and control, integrated pest management (IPM), and soil, water & tissue sampling with fertility planning provided by certified crop consultants.
• Custom Fertilizer Blending Custom fertilizer blending using Ranco and MEI automated blenders with capacity for 15-28 products for conventional and 8 products for dedicated organic formulations, including liquid impregnation options.
• Parts & Equipment Sales Sales of pump equipment (HyPro, Dos-Tec, Honda, Ozawa), spray nozzles and hoses (Banjo, TeeJet, HyPro), pull and skid sprayers, tank sales, and Biofoamer sanitizing units, with associated service.
• Ag Drone Application Services Agricultural drone application services for crop inputs and monitoring.
• PPE Products Personal protective equipment including Tyvek suits, gloves, goggles, respirators, aprons, with certified respirator fit-testing services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Custom blending capacity of 15-28 products for conventional and 8 for organic

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CNI (Crop Nutrients Inc.)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCNI is a marketing and sales corporation that has been doing business since 1974 as a distributor supplying independently owned agricultural retailers and cooperatives in 42 states. With 24 distribution centers providing timely service, CNI supplies agricultural inputs including crop protection, seed and seed treatments, adjuvants and micronutrients. Operations stretch from the East Coast to the West Coast of the US.
• IAP (Independent Ag Professionals)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIAP is a national agricultural cooperative with global affiliation. The organization represents 31 independent retailers across the U.S. with combined agricultural input sales in excess of 1.4 billion dollars. IAP advocates and influences on behalf of its independent retailers, negotiating competitive fertilizer and crop protection positions.
• Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA)minorOthersARA offers programs and services designed to keep agricultural retailers on top of critical issues that impact profitability, including crop input practices, technology developments, and government regulations.
• Western Plant HealthminorOthersWestern Plant Health is the premier industry trade association representing more than 90 percent of all the fertilizer and crop protection companies in California, Arizona and Hawaii. Members include biotechnology firms, manufacturers, distributors and retailers of plant nutrients, soil amendments, minerals and crop protection products.
• AgLeader (Certified Dealer)coreTechnology or IntegrationCertified AgLeader dealer providing guidance system service, sales, and support for precision agriculture technology including GPS systems, variable-rate controllers, and mapping software.
• FJDynamics (Certified Dealer)coreTechnology or IntegrationCertified FJDynamics dealer providing guidance system service, sales, and support for precision agriculture technology products.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wilbur-Ellis: Wilbur-Ellis is a large privately-held US ag input distributor and retailer offering fertilizers, crop protection, custom application, and agronomic advisory — the same integrated one-stop model Basin Fertilizer operates, but at materially larger scale across the western US.
• Helena Agri-Enterprises: Helena Agri-Enterprises (a Marubeni subsidiary) is a US ag retailer and distributor of fertilizers, crop protection chemicals, and specialty products, with agronomic service capabilities directly overlapping Basin's product and advisory offering.

Emerging players

• AgWorld: AgWorld is a farm management and crop planning SaaS platform used by ag retailers and growers for input planning, budgeting, and compliance — adjacent to Basin's precision ag and GAP documentation services and indicative of the digital tooling layer competing with retail advisory services.
• Taranis: Taranis is an AI-driven precision agriculture platform offering high-resolution aerial imagery, crop scouting, and decision support — competing with the precision agriculture and drone services Basin offers as part of its grower advisory model.
• Climate FieldView (Bayer): Climate FieldView is Bayer's digital farming platform providing satellite imagery, variable-rate prescriptions, and data-driven agronomy — comparable to Basin's precision agriculture and VRT service stack, with greater digital scale.

Broad incumbents

• CHS Inc. CHS Inc. is a large US agricultural cooperative distributing crop inputs, operating agronomy services, and providing energy and grain services — competing with Basin for grower wallet share across a much broader geographic footprint.
• Growmark: Growmark is a regional agricultural cooperative system providing crop nutrients, crop protection, custom application, and agronomic services to member cooperatives and growers — directly comparable to Basin's integrated retail and service model.
• J.R. Simplot Company: J.R. Simplot is a privately-held agribusiness with a major crop inputs and fertilizer retail business in the western US, directly overlapping Basin's product and service portfolio and competing in the same Pacific Northwest/Northern California territory.
• WinField United (Land O'Lakes): WinField United is the crop inputs and agronomy business of Land O'Lakes, providing fertilizers, crop protection, seed, and decision-agnostic agronomic tools through a retail network — overlapping significantly with Basen's full-service ag retail offering.
• Nutrien Ag Solutions: Nutrien Ag Solutions is the largest crop input retailer in North America, operating the same retail-blend-apply-consult model as Basin but with national scale, proprietary Loveland Products, and significantly greater purchasing power on fertilizers and crop protection.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BasinFertLLC

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 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 Basin Fertilizer