Demand for High-Quality Animal Feeds, Forage Products, and Hay Products: A Comprehensive Guide to Top Alfalfa Producing Companies

Alfalfa is a type of flowering plant that is majorly used for hay, grazing, and silage, and is a major source of nutrition for animals as it contains potassium, calcium, iron, and vitamins C, A, E, and K. The demand for high-quality animal feeds is rising in many countries across the world as the percentage of the meat-eating population is also increasing.

As per reports by experts, the annual meat consumption was expected to increase by 1.7% through 2022. These factors are estimated to bolster the demand for nutritious animal feeds to protect animals from various diseases, which will further propel the demand for alfalfa.

Fortune Business Insights has stated that the global market for alfalfa is predicted to reach a valuation of USD 35.20 billion by 2028, exhibiting a CAGR of 7.2% during the forecast period of 2021-2028. The market reached the valuation of USD 19.87 billion in 2020 and USD 21.63 billion in 2021.

Below are the top 10 Alfalfa Producing Companies in the market:

1. Anderson Hay & Grain, Co., Inc.

Anderson Hay & Grain, Co., Inc. is a prominent producer and one of the top alfalfa producing companies of high-quality straw and hay products, and specializes in bedding, timothy, grass straw products, and alfalfa hay. The company is a top exporter of alfalfa and uses its network in the West Coast to sell hay to 30+ countries.

June 2022: Anderson Hay & Grain, Co., Inc. announced that it had received the USDA organic certification to manufacture organic alfalfa. It became one of the few companies in the U.S. to supply USDA-certified organic products.

2. Standlee Premium Products, LLC

Standlee Premium Products, LLC offers a large variety of forage products, such as chopped cubes, pellets, and bales. The company yields more than 22,000 acres of alfalfa, orchard, timothy, teff, and oat grass and has its production plant in Eden Idaho, which is 142,000 sq. ft.

May 2023: Standlee Premium Products LLC unveiled a new product packaging solution with an upgraded visual identity. The modern design claims to focus on communicating information about nutritional health and create product differentiation with the help of a forage-identifying color scheme.

3. Green Prairie International Inc.

Green Prairie International Inc. is one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of long-fiber alfalfa and timothy hay in Canada. The company supplies its products to prominent international markets. Its production factory is equipped with two patented and self-designed presses. The company is increasing its efforts to modernize its products to meet the ever-growing demand for animal feed products among customers.

January 2020: Green Prairie International Inc. announced the launch of air-dried hay products, such as GreenCured. The product is dehydrated in a cutting-edge air-drying procedure in its facility to provide customers with high-quality hay products.

4. Alfalfa Monegros, S.L.

Alfalfa Monegros, S.L. is a Spain-based company located in Huesca, and farms more than 4,000 hectares of farmlands, thereby offering hay products of the highest quality, including pellets. The company is increasing its efforts to innovate and improve its products to benefit farmers and help it expand its business operations.

5. SL Follen Company

SL Follen Company is one of the major exporters of hay and other animal feed products from the U.S. to the Middle East and Asia. It ships around 65,000 metric tons of hay products every year and has a processing facility in Boardman, Oregon. This factory grows, harvests, packs, and supplies high-quality timothy and alfalfa hay. Moreover, the company also ships a wide range of its products, such as hay and straw to many processing plants throughout the U.S. West Coast and Canada.

6. Bailey Farms International

Bailey Farms International is one of the key producers and distributors of high-quality hay in the U.S. and provides delivery within the country and across the world at the buyer’s request. The company also specializes in on-farm sale of hay products to dairy, livestock, and equine producers. It exports hay to more than 100 countries across the world and ships around 140,000 tons of hay on a yearly basis. China is a major market for the company, with other key markets being Japan, the U.S., South Korea, and the U.A.E.

7. Cubeit Hay

Cubeit Hay is one of the top manufacturers and suppliers of Alfalfa hay cubes. The company boasts of a vast range of products in alfalfa hay cubes, which includes alfalfa timothy blend, premium alfalfa, alfalfa orchard blend, alfalfa oat blend, and others. Some of the company’s top markets are the U.S. and Mexico.

8. M&C Hay

M&C Hay is a family-owned business that offers a wide range of hay products under different categories, such as timothy, alfalfa, dairy hay, and others. The company runs its operations on a 615-acre farm that manufactures premium-quality alfalfa and timothy hay. The fertile valley is 5,800 feet above the sea level, which creates a conducive environment for growing alfalfa and timothy hay products.

9. Old Manor Farm

Old Manor Farm is a major manufacturer of a vast variety of hay and haylage that is suitable for all types of equines -  from race horses, eventers, and international showjumpers, to horses with ailments that need a strictly controlled diet. Its bedding is sourced from eco-friendly supplies from all over Europe and the U.K.

10. Barr-Ag Ltd.

Barr-Ag Ltd. is a Canada-based producer and exporter of non-GMO alfalfa hay, timothy hay, and mixed hay. The company has its operations in Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S. More than 90% of the products produced are exported from Canada, and over 80% of the products exported are grown on the company’s farms. The company has invested heavily in a new cutting-edge facility that has advanced equipment and machinery for drying, pressing, and processing alfalfa and other animal feed products.

What is the future of the alfalfa industry?

The alfalfa industry’s outlook is quite promising considering there is a major demand for high-quality animal feeds across the globe. As there is a robust demand for high-quality feeds among livestock and dairy product manufacturers, the production of alfalfa products is expected to rise significantly in the coming years.