Jdh Farms, Llc

What Jdh Farms, Llc does

JDH Farms, LLC, operating as J.D. Heiskell & Co. (rebranded to JDH in January 2024), is a fifth-generation, family-owned agricultural commodity trading, animal feed manufacturing, and bulk logistics enterprise headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1886, the company operates across more than 11 U.S. states and extends into Canada, Mexico, and Asia through its Heiskell Mexico entity and broader international feed and grain trading desks, shipping approximately 22 million tons of product annually. Its customer base spans commercial dairy, beef, poultry, swine, aquaculture, pet food, ethanol, food and beverage, biofuel producers, and international importers, with JDH reporting roughly 1.57 million cows fed by its customers in 2022.

JDH operates a vertically integrated platform combining feed manufacturing, grain origination and merchandising, and multi-modal logistics (rail, truck, and barge). The company maintains a network of 22+ facilities, branded subsidiaries including Hawkeye Gold (acquired 2011), Gold Star Feed & Grain (acquired 2014), and CSC (acquired 2019), and a new Stratford, Texas grain-handling complex supported by a BNSF Railway partnership. Underlying operations emphasize capital-intensive physical infrastructure rather than proprietary technology platforms, and the business model is anchored in commodity-margin economics, transaction-based merchandising, and long-standing customer relationships in livestock and processed-feed channels. Forbes ranked JDH the 114th-largest U.S. private company in 2021 (132nd in 2017), and the company first crossed $1 billion in sales in 2003.

The go-to-market motion is relationship-driven, with sales force and merchandisers operating across regional feed, grain origination, and export channels. Pricing follows commodity-market benchmarks (corn, soybean meal, wheat by-products, dried distillers grains) plus processing and freight margins. Revenue mechanics blend feed mill throughput, grain trading P&L, transportation/logistics fees, and toll-processing arrangements, with multi-year supply contracts embedded in dairy and ethanol segments. The 2022 transition of CEO leadership to fifth-generation family member Jefferson Hillman signals continuity of the family-control governance model.

Name

Jdh Farms, Llc

Legal name

J.D. Heiskell Holding LLC

Website

https://jdhco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1886

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

JDH Farms is a fifth-generation, family-owned agricultural commodity trader, animal feed manufacturer, and bulk logistics operator shipping ~22 million tons annually across 11+ U.S. states and international markets to dairy, livestock, ethanol, and biofuel customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Commodity Trading & Feed Manufacturing

NAICS

Grain and Field Bean Merchant Wholesalers (42451), Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers (4245), Grain and Oilseed Milling (3112)

SIC

Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)

akta.pro primary industry

Grain & Oilseed Trading/Wholesale (AFAIAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Starches, Flours & Milling Products Trading/Wholesale (AFAIAKAH), Commodity Risk Management, Hedging & Brokerage (Food) (AFAIAKAK), Edible Oils & Fats Trading/Wholesale (AFAIAKAC)

Keywords

• Agricultural commodity trading
• Animal feed manufacturing
• Grain merchandising
• Livestock feed solutions
• Agribusiness logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Omaha

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices22 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Commodity Trading: JDH buys and sells agricultural commodities (grains, oilseeds, co-products) across domestic and international markets, operating as a merchant between origin and destination markets.
2. Animal Feed Manufacturing and Sales: Manufactured animal feed products (ground and flaked corn, pellets, crumbles, tubs, mixed feeds, sacked feeds) and feed ingredients sold to dairy, beef, cattle, poultry, swine, goat, aquaculture, and pet food producers.
3. Transportation and Logistics Services: Logistics and transportation services for moving commodities via extensive rail, truck, and barge networks, serving as a key value-add for customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

JDH (J.D. Heiskell & Co.) is a privately held agricultural commodity trading firm that purchases, sells, and transports grains, oilseeds, and co-products across North America and Asia. The company also manufactures complete feed products for dairy, beef, poultry, swine, aquaculture, and pet food customers, operating through regional subsidiaries including CSC, Hawkeye Gold, and Gold Star Feed and Grain.

Product overview

JDH operates as an integrated commodity trading and livestock feed manufacturing enterprise with three wholly-owned subsidiaries. The main JDH brand offers grains, co-products, and manufactured animal feed across the Western U.S. and Midwest via extensive rail and truck networks. Gold Star Feed and Grain (northeastern U.S.) provides commodity trading and dairy feed solutions. CSC handles feed and grain by-products across the U.S. and Canada. Hawkeye Gold markets ethanol co-products and manages commodity exports. Together they provide end-to-end agricultural commodity and feed solutions from origination to destination markets including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Asia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hawkeye Gold: Specializes in marketing corn and soy co-products for ethanol production facilities in the Upper Midwest. Also exports commodities by container and bulk vessel with logistics and execution capabilities between North American producers and global buyers.
• CSC (Commodity Specialists Company)
• Gold Star Feed and Grain

Products and services

• Grains and Oilseeds Purchase, sale, and transportation of grain and oilseed commodities for industrial buyers, food/beverage manufacturers, flour/corn millers, and biofuel/ethanol producers across the U.S., Mexico, and Asia.
• Co-Products Trading of corn-based and wheat-based co-products supplied to industrial and feed customers, distributed through JDH's multi-modal rail, truck, and barge logistics network.
• Complete Animal Feed Products Manufactured complete feed products formulated for dairy, beef, poultry, swine, aquaculture, and pet food customers, produced through JDH's regional feed manufacturing subsidiaries and ingredient portfolio.
• Calf Feeding Program Specialty calf feeding program offered to dairy and beef producers as part of JDH's complete feed product portfolio.
• CSC JDH subsidiary brand supporting the company's grain origination, merchandising, and feed operations in its regional market.
• Hawkeye Gold JDH subsidiary brand serving the Midwest U.S. market with grain merchandising, ingredients, and feed solutions.
• Gold Star Feed and Grain JDH subsidiary brand providing regional feed and grain offerings to livestock producers in its served territory.

Quantifiable outcome

• 22 million tons of product shipped by rail, truck or barge each year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Double J MillingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 September 2025Double J Milling is a strategic partnership in Idaho mentioned in the context of JDH Idaho's growth from one plant to three facilities. JDH Idaho operations expanded significantly under this partnership.
• BNSF RailwaycoreOthers · 17 January 2024BNSF Railway is serving JDH's new grain handling facility in Stratford, Texas (Sherman County), providing freight transportation for agricultural products across BNSF's network. The partnership enables JDH to transport vital agricultural products efficiently and supports the Texas Panhandle agricultural community. The facility features a double looped rail track served by BNSF.
• Commodity Specialists Company (CSC)coreOthers · 2 January 2019Acquired in 2019, CSC (now CSC Gold, Inc.) specializes in bringing feed and grain by-products to markets across the U.S. and Canada, focusing on wet brewer's grains, soybean products, cottonseed products, corn by-products and other oilseed products. Part of JDH's integrated subsidiary model.
• Gold Star Feed and GraincoreOthers · 1 January 2014Acquired 100% in 2014 as a joint venture with Kent Nutrition Group. Gold Star is a leading commodity trading and dairy feed solutions provider for customers in the Northeastern U.S. Part of JDH's integrated subsidiary model.
• Hawkeye Gold LLCcoreOthers · 1 January 2011Acquired in 2011, Hawkeye Gold specializes in marketing corn and soy co-products for ethanol production facilities in the Upper Midwest and handles container and bulk vessel commodity exports. Part of JDH's integrated subsidiary model.
• DeRaad Warehouse Inc.minorOthers · 1 January 1992JDH partnered with DeRaad Warehouse Inc. in 1992 to optimize efficiencies. By 1993, JDH assumed full ownership of the operation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Alltech: Privately held global animal nutrition and feed additive company with grain sourcing and on-farm feed programs. Directly comparable to JDH's animal feed and calf program offerings.
• Kent Nutrition Group: Privately held US animal feed manufacturer and former joint venture partner with JDH (Gold Star Feed & Grain). Closely comparable feed manufacturing, dairy nutrition, and commodity supply business.
• Scoular Company: Privately held, US-based commodity trading and supply chain company with grain, feed ingredient, and livestock feed businesses. Closest peer to JDH in scale, ownership structure (employee/private), and commodity-plus-feed strategy.
• CHS Inc. US farmer cooperative and Fortune 100 agribusiness with grain merchandising, animal nutrition, and energy (ethanol/biofuel) segments. Highly comparable to JDH's grain trading plus feed plus ethanol co-product model.
• MFA Incorporated: US farmer cooperative with grain origination, agronomy, and animal feed manufacturing across the Midwest. Comparable regional grain-plus-feed model to JDH's Midwest operations.
• Land O'Lakes (Purina Animal Nutrition): Major US animal feed manufacturer and proprietary nutrition provider through Purina. Directly comparable to JDH's manufactured feed business serving dairy, beef, and poultry producers.

Broad incumbents

• Cargill: World's largest privately held agricultural commodity trader and animal nutrition producer. Directly comparable as a diversified grain merchandiser and feed manufacturer, though vastly larger and more globally diversified than JDH.
• Bunge Global: Global oilseed processor and grain originator with extensive logistics. Comparable to JDH in commodity origination and co-product marketing, though Bunge's footprint is global and oilseed-focused.
• Archer Daniels Midland (ADM): Global agribusiness major with major grain origination, oilseed processing, and animal nutrition businesses. Overlaps with JDH across commodity trading, oilseed co-products, and feed ingredients, but operates at a much larger scale.
• Perdue Agribusiness: Grain merchandising, oilseed processing, and animal feed arm of Perdue Farms. Overlaps with JDH in commodity origination and feed ingredient supply, with East Coast logistics exposure comparable to CSC and Gold Star.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/JDHCo
• Facebookfacebook.com/JDH1886
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jdhco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Jdh Farms, Llc