Farm And Trade Inc.

What Farm And Trade Inc. does

Farm & Trade, Inc. is a privately held California-based rice brokerage and agricultural commodities advisory firm founded in 2014. The company operates from a single headquarters in Durham, California, with 1-10 employees, and serves California rice growers, processors, and global buyers of rice and other commodities. Its core business model is built around a producer-first philosophy that advocates growers retain control of their rice marketing until a fair price is agreed and paid in full, positioning itself as an alternative to traditional consignment pools.

The company's core offerings include: (1) the California Rice Exchange (CRE), an internet-based cash market trading floor for paddy rice where producers offer to sell and buyers bid to purchase online with price transparency, anonymous counterparties, and daily confirmed sales, joined in Fall 2013; (2) AgriFin, a post-harvest funding program that provides growers approximately 75% of market value upfront while allowing them to retain crop ownership and control; (3) rice brokerage services where Farm & Trade purchases rice from producers under Client Agreements and sells to buyers, with 10 business day payment terms; and (4) a weekly market report subscription service delivering market analysis to subscribers' inboxes. The platform is differentiated by a confidentiality architecture where grower and buyer identities are kept opaque, with the CEO typically being the only person aware of the end buyer at the time of sale.

Farm & Trade generates revenue through three streams: brokerage commissions on rice transactions (transaction fees), subscription fees for weekly market reports (recurring), and AgriFin financing fees on post-harvest cash advances (managed services). The company employs a sales-led go-to-market motion with direct enterprise field sales via Grower Advisors, supplemented by monthly producer meetings, ICI Conference participation, and content marketing. The distribution channel centers on direct brokerage relationships with California rice growers and the CRE online platform. Management consists of an Office Manager/Grower Advisor (Peggy Hutsell) and a Grower Advisor (David Steffenson), reflecting a small, relationship-driven operation. No external funding rounds, M&A activity, or institutional investors are disclosed.

Name

Farm And Trade Inc.

Legal name

FARM & TRADE, Inc.

Website

https://farmandtrade.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Farm & Trade is a privately held California rice brokerage and agricultural commodities advisory firm founded in 2014 that serves California rice growers, processors, and global buyers through brokerage commissions, the California Rice Exchange (CRE) online trading platform, and AgriFin post-harvest financing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

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, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Rice Brokerage Commission: Farm & Trade acts as a broker purchasing rice from producers and selling to buyers. The company takes a brokerage role in purchasing rice, invoicing rice sales as soon as producers sign contracts and provide documentation. Revenue is generated through commissions on rice transactions.
2. Weekly Market Report Subscription: Subscription service providing weekly market analysis and real market knowledge delivered directly to subscribers' inboxes. Clients and non-clients can become subscribers to receive market information and weekly analysis publications.
3. AgriFin Financing Fees: Post-harvest funding provided to California growers with monthly fees. AgriFin pays growers the loan value plus premium advance rate. Revenue is generated through financing fees charged to growers who use the cash advance service to maintain control of their rice during the marketing cycle.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Farm & Trade acts as a rice broker purchasing paddy rice from California producers and reselling to buyers, while providing grower advisory services and confidential invoicing. Through the California Rice Exchange (CRE) it operates an internet-based cash market trading floor where producers offer and buyers bid on rice online. It also provides AgriFin post-harvest funding, advancing approximately 75% of market value to growers while allowing them to retain control of their crop.

Product overview

Farm & Trade offers a suite of services for California rice growers centered around two core offerings: AgriFin (financing) and the California Rice Exchange (CRE) for online trading. AgriFin provides post-harvest funding allowing growers to maintain control of their rice while receiving approximately 75% of market value upfront, avoiding consignment pools. CRE is an internet-based cash market trading floor where paddy rice is bought and sold online with price transparency and anonymity. Additional services include Weekly Report subscriptions for market analysis, Monthly Producer Meetings, and private cash market trading with 10-day payment terms. The company positions itself as a broker facilitating producer-to-processor transactions while prioritizing grower profit maximization over pool systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AgriFin: A ground-breaking post-harvest funding program for California rice growers that provides cash flow while allowing growers to retain control of their rice crop. AgriFin pays growers approximately 75% of market value upfront without taking control of their crop.

Products and services

• AgriFin A post-harvest financing service for California rice growers that provides approximately 75% of market value upfront while allowing growers to retain ownership and control of their rice. Growers receive cash early in the season and pay back the loan amount plus a monthly fee when they sell.
• California Rice Exchange (CRE) Cash Market Trading Platform An online cash market trading platform for paddy rice where producers offer to sell and buyers bid to purchase rice electronically. Features include daily access to confirmed sales, price transparency, anonymous trading, high-speed execution, and marketing flexibility for timing, quantity, price, and variety.
• Private Brokerage and Cash Market Trading Services Direct brokerage services where Farm & Trade purchases rice from producers with signed Client Agreements and resells to buyers. Invoices are issued upon contract signing and documentation receipt, with payment delivered within 10 business days for the full contract price.
• Weekly Market Report Subscription A subscription service providing real market knowledge, current prices, and weekly analysis delivered directly to subscribers' inboxes. Available to both clients and non-clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• $100,000 more per year on average compared to marketing pool system
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• California Rice Exchange (CRE)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2013In Fall 2013, Farm & Trade joined forces with California Rice Exchange (CRE) to provide rice growers another avenue to sell their rice while maintaining control. CRE was created to provide an easy-to-use and efficient alternative to present rice-marketing pools controlled by buyers. CRE provides an internet-based cash market trading floor for Paddy Rice where producers offer to sell and buyers bid to purchase rice online. The partnership enables price transparency with daily access to confirmed sales, anonymous trading, and swift purchase and payment.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• SunRice: Australian branded rice grower-owned company with marketing, milling, and trading operations — comparable in vertically integrated grower-services and rice marketing/financing model, but operating primarily in Australia rather than the U.S.

Broad incumbents

• Cargill: Global agricultural commodity trader with significant rice origination, trading, and financing operations — overlapping in commodity brokerage and grower financing, but as part of a much larger diversified agribusiness portfolio.
• Archer Daniels Midland (ADM): Global agribusiness with rice merchandising, origination, and grower services — comparable in commodity trading, brokerage, and post-harvest financing, but as one product line within a massive diversified commodity portfolio.
• Bunge Global Agriculture: Global agribusiness and commodity trader with rice and grain origination capabilities — overlapping in commodity trading and grower services, but as one category within a diversified oilseed/grain/agri-food platform.

Direct peers

• Sun Valley Rice Company: California-based rice milling, marketing, and brokerage firm that purchases paddy from California growers and sells to buyers — directly comparable in customer base, geography, and core rice brokerage/marketing service offering.
• Riceland Foods: Largest U.S. rice miller and marketer, operating a cooperative rice marketing model — directly comparable in rice brokerage/marketing activity, though at vastly larger scale, and overlapping in addressing grower cash-flow needs.
• Producers Rice Mill: U.S. rice milling and marketing company serving grower-members — comparable rice brokerage/marketing function, with parallel focus on farmer-owned economics versus pool systems.
• Doguet's Rice Milling Company: Vertically integrated Texas rice miller and broker — directly comparable rice milling/marketing model and grower-services orientation, but operating in a different (Texas/Louisiana) geography.
• Farmers' Rice Cooperative: California rice grower cooperative that markets and pools member rice — Farm & Trade explicitly positions itself against the consignment-pool model of cooperatives like FRC, sharing the same California rice grower customer base.

Emerging players

• The Rice Trader (TRT): Rice market intelligence platform referenced on Farm & Trade's own marketing channels — comparable in providing rice market data and conference/analysis services to growers, processors, and buyers, but focused on intelligence rather than brokerage execution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/farm-and-trade-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Farm And Trade Inc.