Crop Production Services (Agrium) continues buy out of independents….who is NEXT?

Agrium has been busy this summer and fall acquiring independent dealers from across Western Canada.  Ross Agri (central AB), Heartland Agro (southern SK) and Servagro (southern AB) were acquired in the first round and just last week RTL Services (southern AB) and Cheyne Agri Services Ltd (southern Sask) have now fallen to the CPS brand (Crop Production Services Canada, CPS is a whole owned subsidiary of Agrium) giving CPS over 20 locations in Alberta in Saskatchewan. This is what I believe to be the start of a mass consolidation across Western Canada of the fertilizer industry. I believe there are around 120 Esso agents across the three Prairie provinces that Agrium is targeting to bring under the CPS umbrella. If Agrium is successful in acquiring CF Industries, Medicine Hat fertilizer plant included, both Agrium and Viterra would control all of the urea and phosphate manufacturing plants in Alberta. The world is getting pretty small out there. Keep open communication with your local independent and work together to make sure that Agrium and Viterra do not push out all of the competition in the market. It seems the giants are working pretty hard right now to make sure every last independent is either bought out or put out of business.