Forty-five years ago, Dennis Albaugh got hold of an idea: provide farmers with high-quality inputs they need, together with great service and competitive prices.
What started as a one-truck operation in Central Iowa has become Albaugh LLC, the largest privately held crop protection company in the world. The global enterprise operates in key regions of the world and established operations in Canada in 2011. Albaugh’s founding vision remains at the heart of the family-owned business.
Jeff Clarke, owner of Elite Ag Services in Ogema, Saskatchewan, believes Albaugh delivers on that promise and says the company is now one of his biggest suppliers.
Clarke was impressed from the first shipment he received. The totes were clean, the packaging was good and product quality was high. That was about four years ago, when supplies were tight for many crop inputs.
“Albaugh delivered what we needed when we needed it. I have never had an issue with supply,” he says.
Albaugh manufactures a high percentage of their own product to ensure tight quality control. Their organizational structure allows for regional decision making and faster turn-around times.
“The price is the price.”
Price, quality and service support are at the top of Clarke’s reasons for making Albaugh one of his biggest suppliers.
“The prices are very competitive. There are no gimmicks or targets to hit. The price is the price and it suits my customers and my business. Everybody wins,” he says.
Input costs are becoming more and more of a consideration with dry conditions and reduced yields in many parts of the Prairies. Reducing inputs by a few dollars per acre goes a long way when growers are faced with challenging growing conditions.
Albaugh provides alternative products that include the same active ingredients found in branded solutions, making them a more cost-effective choice. Products are field-tested in the Canadian market, providing the data to give farmers confidence in the field. Work continues to improve and expand the label offerings to meet growers’ needs.
A growing portfolio of crop protection products.
Albaugh offers a wide range of solutions for crops and soil zones across Western Canada.
“Their vast portfolio has a lot to offer. It allows retailers to provide the best agronomic advice while keeping it economical for growers,” says Bill DeCraene, crop input merchant at Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd. in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
It’s something Clarke has observed as well. There are solutions for Western Canada’s primary crops to protect against all major diseases and weeds.
“Albaugh’s portfolio has grown and is still growing. They have something for everything, no matter the crop or the soil zone,” Clarke says.
And both Clarke and DeCrane see the difference Albaugh offers when it comes to post-patent innovation, citing formulations that go beyond the original proprietary brand offerings.
Clarke acknowledges growers are sometimes leery about trying a post-patent product with uncertainty around its efficacy and ingredients.
“But once my customers have tried it, they see it is really the same product but at a better price point. It is a hell of a product.”
With expensive seed going in the ground, growers can count on Albaugh to provide proven, low-cost, high-value crop protection products to help reduce input costs.
Expert service is part of the package.
Customer service has been a core part of the Albaugh business model since 1979.
“The staff are knowledgeable and helpful,” Clarke says. “The service they offer to retailers and growers is provided locally and ranges from product support to in-field consultations.”
Albaugh continues to grow. In the spring of 2022, the company bought Rotam Global Agrosciences. This acquisition not only expanded the portfolio but also added product and technology pipelines, manufacturing capabilities, registration, research and development capabilities and professional expertise to better serve customers.
From the cereals, oilseeds, and pulses of the prairies to the corn, soybeans, and specialty crops of Eastern Canada, Albaugh is committed to upholding its founding principles by providing the highest quality, most effective products to help Canadian farmers get the most profit from every acre.
