What Smith Farms, Ltd. does

Smith Farms, Ltd. is a fifth-generation, family-owned agricultural enterprise headquartered in Minot, North Dakota, that produces grain and cattle across approximately 30,000 acres spanning North Dakota and Montana. Founded in 1999 by Nathan Smith with 460 leased acres, the business has scaled materially under his leadership, adding an 1,800-acre Montana footprint and investing in advanced grain storage infrastructure designed to reduce post-harvest waste and protect crop quality year-round. The company monetizes through traditional agricultural commodity sales channels, including grain elevators, cattle auctions, and direct buyer relationships, with pricing negotiated bilaterally against prevailing commodity market conditions. Its customer base consists of agricultural commodity buyers, grain processors, livestock buyers, and participants in the food supply chain, served on a regional basis with no global distribution footprint.

Operationally, Smith Farms has positioned itself around a data-driven and digitally integrated production model, referencing smart farming, big data applications, and connected agriculture systems in its public communications. The firm does not offer distinct branded product lines or modules; rather, it operates as a single integrated grain and cattle enterprise. Its go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, with no enterprise software, SaaS, or branded consumer product revenue. Marketing is restricted to a corporate website and blog (smithfarmsltd.com) that publishes educational content on the grain supply chain, data-driven agriculture, grain storage optimization, and digital innovation in farming. President and Managing Partner Nathan Smith, who holds a degree in Agricultural Economics from North Dakota State University, also runs Caliber, a separate real estate development firm, but no operational integration between the two entities is disclosed.

Name

Smith Farms, Ltd.

Legal name

Smith Farms Ltd.

Website

https://SmithFarmsLTD.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Smith Farms, Ltd. is a fifth-generation, family-owned grain and cattle enterprise based in Minot, North Dakota, operating across 30,000 acres in North Dakota and Montana, selling agricultural commodities through traditional grain elevator and livestock channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Commodities

NAICS

Oilseed and Grain Combination Farming (111191), Dual-Purpose Cattle Ranching and Farming (112130)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Grazing & Pasture-Based Operations (Range, Rotational Grazing) (AFAEAFAG)

Keywords

• Grain production
• Cattle ranching
• Farmland management
• Agricultural commodities
• Crop production

Headquarters

HQ city

Minot

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Grain and Cattle Sales: Revenue generated from the sale of agricultural commodities including grain crops and cattle livestock through commodity markets and direct sales channels.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Smith Farms, Ltd. is a fifth-generation family grain and cattle enterprise that produces and sells agricultural commodities, including grain crops and cattle livestock, from approximately 30,000 acres of farmland spanning North Dakota and Montana. The farm modernizes its operations through data-driven agriculture, smart farming practices, advanced grain storage, and connected agriculture systems, while managing land acquisition and expansion as part of its long-term growth strategy.

Product overview

Smith Farms Ltd. is a grain and cattle enterprise based in Minot, North Dakota, operating as a single unified family farming business with a history spanning five generations. The company has expanded from 460 leased acres in 1999 to approximately 30,000 acres across North Dakota and Montana. Beyond traditional farming, Nathan Smith has also pursued real estate development through his role as Managing Partner at Caliber. The company shares agricultural knowledge through a blog covering topics such as grain supply chain management, data-driven agriculture, smart farming practices, grain storage optimization, and connected agriculture systems, but does not appear to offer distinct branded products or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grain Production Large-scale production and sale of grain crops grown across approximately 30,000 acres of farmland in North Dakota and Montana, sold to grain elevators, grain processors, and commodity market buyers.
• Cattle Production Raising and sale of cattle livestock from the Smith Farms ranch operations, sold through cattle auctions, livestock buyers, and direct buyer relationships in the regional agricultural supply chain.
• Farmland Management Strategic acquisition, leasing, and management of farmland acreage, growing the operation from 460 leased acres in 1999 to 30,000 acres across North Dakota and Montana.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30,000 acres under management representing significant production capacity

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• CHS Inc. Largest U.S. agricultural cooperative, serving grain and livestock producers across the Plains with inputs, marketing, and processing. Comparable as the dominant counterparty/marketing channel available to Smith Farms in the same commodity markets.
• Archer Daniels Midland (ADM): Global grain trader and processor that is one of the largest buyers of U.S. commodity grain. Comparable as the ultimate downstream counterparty in Smith Farms' grain marketing channel and benchmark for Plains grain margin economics.
• Cargill: World's largest privately held agricultural commodities company with significant grain and cattle supply-chain operations across the Plains. Comparable as a counterparty and benchmark for the scale Smith Farms would face in negotiating commodity offtake.
• Land O'Lakes: Large U.S. farmer-owned cooperative with crop inputs, dairy, and livestock services. Comparable as a farmer-controlled, broad-based agricultural platform that competes for the same grower relationships and commodity offtake Smith Farms relies on.

Direct peers

• Agri Beef Co. Vertically integrated cattle operation (ranching, feeding, processing) in the Western U.S. Most comparable peer on the cattle/feedlot economics side; useful reference for the realistic margins of a Plains-scale cattle enterprise.
• R.D. Offutt Company: Multi-generational family-owned farm and food company headquartered in the upper Plains (North Dakota/Minnesota), operating large-scale potato and grain production across the same Dakotas geography as Smith Farms. Closest comparable in scale, family-ownership profile, and Plains row-crop focus.
• Harris Ranch Beef: Vertically integrated beef operation spanning feedlot, processing, and branded retail beef. Comparable to Smith Farms' cattle business model, albeit at a more downstream, branded stage — useful benchmark for the cattle-side economics of the business.
• King Ranch: Iconic multi-generational family ranch operating tens of thousands of acres of cattle and crop land in the U.S. Comparable to Smith Farms as a legacy family-owned mixed grain-and-cattle enterprise operating at large scale.
• Five Rivers Cattle Feeding: One of the largest U.S. cattle feeding operations (JBS-owned), with feedlot capacity comparable in scale to Smith Farms' cattle enterprise. Direct peer on the livestock side given matching commodity-fed-cattle operating model and Plains geography.

Others

• Stine Seed: Independent, family-owned seed and crop-input company operating from the Midwest. Comparable as a fellow family-controlled agribusiness in the same geography — useful reference for input-cost dynamics and the role of independent operators in the Plains.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Smith Farms, Ltd.