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Timing right for Land O’Lakes to go global

A spokesperson for Land O’Lakes says the timing is right for the company to make its first global commercial investment.

Kim Olson tells Brownfield the cooperative’s acquisition of a South African agribusiness came down to finding the right partner in a region that has long-term potential.

“Villa Crop Protection is a market leader down there in crop protection products and has this broad distribution footprint in South Africa through its network of dealer shareholders.”

She says the partnership allows Villa to fulfill its growth goals while taking advantage of a large product portfolio at Land O’Lakes.

“We bring our crops input business, Winfield Solutions, and expertise in seed and crop protection products.  They really felt like a nice sister company in many ways, because both companies have this shared commitment to research and educational support for our customers.”

Olson says there will be no layoffs as part of the deal and it will help strengthen the balance sheet at Land O’Lakes by finding and closing on this global opportunity.