By Eric Jenks, Special to NEAFA
This month’s NEAFA member profile focuses on Cargill, an agricultural conglomerate based out of Wayzata, MN, with numerous farm and consumer based products and divisions. The company was founded in 1865, and is privately owned by the Cargill/MacMillan family. NEAFA spoke with Matt Sheffer, a sales manager that has been with company since 2014 to learn more about their operations in New York and the rest of the Northeast. “I work with consultants and nutritionists west of Interstate 87 to Buffalo, NY, along with the support and technical teams that are in the field,” said Sheffer. “My team is in the animal nutrition group, specifically the dairy group in New York. Cargill works in the retail space at a variety of levels. We do anything from bagged feed and things for backyard animals at a hobbyist level, to full commercial scale, where we work with dairy producers on nutrition and farm consulting.
For Sheffer, Cargill was a natural fit for his interests and family upbringing. “I’m originally from Corning, NY in the Finger Lakes,” said Sheffer. “Agriculture is in my family’s blood. I have family that have worked in agriculture their entire career, and I still have cousins that are running a dairy in Hoosick Falls. I received my Bachelor of Science from Oswego in finance and economics, and I started as an intern at Cargill in 2014. It was a perfect fit. In 2015, after I graduated, I was offered a full time position in Cargill Animal Nutrition’s rotational management division, and had the opportunity to learn about and work in agriculture across the country. After the program, I led dairy pricing and formulation for the US dairy business, staying connected to commodity trading and risk management.”
Cargill is a long time member of NEAFA. “We’ve always spoken and thought highly of NEAFA,” said Sheffer. “It’s great that as an organization, they’re action based. They’re focused on getting things done, and it’s great to see NEAFA’s focus on legislation, leadership, education, and the good works program. I loved the annual meeting this year and the collaboration with NEDPA. I thought it was an invaluable effort to bring industry personnel and dairy producers together at one event. Transportation is such a pressing topic for our industry right now, that it’s good to see it being addressed. Cargill is very committed to northeastern dairy and seeing it flourish. We are focused on continuing our commitments to the communities that our consultants are working with. The relationship our consultants have with our farmers is crucial, and we are focused on growing our on farm consulting and nutrition program so that we can bring the best of the best to our producers and help them thrive.”
For more information about Cargill and their animal nutrition group, click here.