Farmers Trading Co

What Farmers Trading Co does

Farmers Trading Company (operating as Midwest Grain Marketing) is a privately held commodity brokerage and grain marketing advisory firm headquartered in Mitchell, South Dakota. Founded in 1993 by Vince Boddicker, the firm combines a futures and options brokerage (Farmers Trading Company) with a cash grain marketing advisory service (Midwest Grain Marketing) to help agricultural producers manage price risk, hedge positions, and execute grain sales across the East Central South Dakota region.

The company sells a three-tier subscription advisory product (Level 1 at $250/year, Level 2 at $500/year minimum plus per-bushel transaction fees, and Level 3 at $750/year minimum with active futures hedging) and supplements it with structured education in the form of a four-week marketing course and a one-day advanced course. Operations are delivered by a small team (approximately six employees, including three brokers) supported by text and email alerts, a weekly regional basis report, monthly outlook meetings, and downloadable Excel worksheets for options and break-even analysis. There are no proprietary software platforms, mobile applications, APIs, or disclosed AI/ML components; the value proposition rests entirely on human advisory judgment, local market knowledge, and the integrated brokerage-to-cash-sale workflow.

Revenue is generated through recurring annual subscriptions, per-bushel transaction fees on cash grain and oilseed sales executed for Levels 2 and 3 clients, and one-time fees from educational courses. The customer base is concentrated in SMB row-crop farmers (corn, soybeans, wheat) and livestock producers, with secondary exposure to commodity speculators. The firm is founder/operator controlled with no disclosed institutional investors, no parent company, and no funding rounds.

Name

Farmers Trading Co

Legal name

Farmers Trading Company

Website

https://midwestgrainmarketing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Farmers Trading Company, operating as Midwest Grain Marketing, is a privately held commodity brokerage and grain marketing advisory in Mitchell, South Dakota that helps East Central South Dakota row-crop farmers and livestock producers hedge risk and execute grain sales through a three-tier subscription service plus educational courses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Commodity Advisory and Brokerage Services

NAICS

Grain and Field Bean Merchant Wholesalers (42451), Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers (4245)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Supply Chain, Marketing & Contracting Advisory (Grain/Livestock Marketing) (AFACAJAH)

Keywords

• Grain marketing advisory
• Commodity futures brokerage
• Agricultural risk management
• Hedging services
• Agricultural education

Headquarters

HQ city

Mitchell

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Advisory Service Subscriptions: Three-tiered annual subscription model offering grain marketing advisory services. Level 1 provides basic alerts and market information. Level 2 adds consulting and cash sale execution. Level 3 includes futures trading execution and active hedging management.
2. Transaction Fees (Bushel-based): Level 2 and Level 3 services charge per-bushel fees on grains marketed: $0.02 per bushel on grains and $0.03 per bushel on oilseeds. These fees are in addition to annual subscription minimums ($500 for Level 2, $750 for Level 3).
3. Marketing Education Classes: Revenue generated from teaching marketing education courses to farmers and agricultural producers. Four-week course costs $200 and can be attended by two people from a farming operation. One-day advanced courses are also offered.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Farmers Trading Company, operating as Midwest Grain Marketing, is a private commodity futures/options brokerage and grain marketing advisory firm serving farmers and speculators. The company delivers a three-tiered annual subscription advisory service (Level 1 advisory, Level 2 advisory plus cash grain sale execution, Level 3 advisory plus active futures trading and hedging), charges per-bushel transaction fees on grains and oilseeds marketed, and offers paid futures and options marketing education courses (four-week beginner course and one-day advanced course).

Product overview

Midwest Grain Marketing (MGM), a division of Farmers Trading Company, is an agricultural commodity marketing advisory service offering a tiered subscription model with three service levels and supplemental educational products. The core offering consists of three advisory tiers: Level 1 (advisory-only, $250/year) provides market alerts and newsletters; Level 2 (advisory + cash sale execution, $500/year minimum) adds personalized marketing plans and grain sales execution at elevators; Level 3 (advisory + futures trading, $750/year minimum) adds active futures hedging. Supplementing the advisory tiers, MGM offers two structured educational courses — a Four Week Marketing Course for beginning hedgers and a One Day Advanced Course for experienced traders — as well as downloadable planning worksheets (Options Worksheet, Break-Even Analysis Worksheet) and a Cash Trade Terminology resource. All services are focused on helping farmers manage agricultural market risk through futures, options, and cash marketing strategies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grain Marketing Advisory Service A three-tiered annual subscription grain marketing advisory service for farmers and agricultural producers. Level 1 ($250/year) provides market alerts, weekly regional basis reports for East Central South Dakota, a monthly Ag commodities newsletter, and access to monthly market outlook meetings. Level 2 ($500/year minimum) adds personalized marketing plan creation and cash grain sale execution at client-chosen elevators at $0.02/bushel on grains and $0.03/bushel on oilseeds. Level 3 ($750/year minimum) adds active futures/options trading execution and minimum one monthly phone consultation to update the marketing plan.
• Four-Week Marketing Course A four-week paid educational course priced at $200 teaching beginning hedgers how futures and options markets can be used in a farming operation. Covers futures terminology and charting (Week 1), basis and hedging (Week 2), the options market (Week 3), and elevator contracts with Q&A (Week 4). Up to two attendees from the same farming operation may attend; Zoom accommodations available.
• One-Day Advanced Course A one-day paid advanced course on futures charting and technical analysis designed for experienced traders and hedgers. Helps participants take a deeper look at commodity markets and make more informed hedging or speculative trading decisions. Up to two attendees from the same farming operation may attend.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AgMarket.Net: Independent grain marketing advisory and brokerage firm serving producers with subscription advisory, hedging, and trading execution — directly comparable service model and customer base to Midwest Grain Marketing.
• Allendale Inc. Commodity brokerage and agricultural research/advisory firm offering grain marketing recommendations, hedging strategies, and futures execution to farmers — overlapping customer base and service tiers.

Broad incumbents

• ED&F Man: Global commodity trader and brokerage offering agricultural derivatives and hedging services — broad incumbent with overlapping producer-focused risk management capabilities.
• R.J. O'Brien: Independent futures brokerage and clearing firm serving agricultural hedgers and speculators — comparable brokerage services and customer overlap with Farmers Trading Company.
• StoneX Group: Global financial services network including commodity futures brokerage and agricultural hedging — broad incumbent in the same commodity advisory and execution space Midwest Grain Marketing operates in.
• ADM Investor Services: Futures brokerage affiliate of ADM offering commodity futures execution, research, and grain hedging services — directly comparable brokerage functions for producer clients.
• DTN (DTN/Progressive Farmer): Large-scale agricultural market data, weather, and advisory platform serving producers across the U.S. — overlaps in market intelligence, advisory content, and producer decision-support.

Emerging players

• Barchart: Commodity market data, charting, and analytics platform increasingly offering tools to grain producers and advisors — adjacent technology-enabled competitor in market intelligence.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/farmers-trading-co

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Farmers Trading Co