Grain Milling Industry Profile

The US grain milling industry includes about 250 companies with combined annual revenue of about $13 billion. Major companies include Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Cargill, ConAgra, and General Mills. The industry is highly concentrated: the top 50 companies account for about 90 percent of industry revenue.

Grain milling is the milling of flour and rice; the malting of grains (primarily barley); and the mixing of prepared flour mixes and dough. Breakfast cereal manufacturing is covered in its own industry profile.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand is driven by consumer patterns in bread, whole grains, and rice consumption. The profitability of individual companies depends on managing grain prices and inventory effectively, and minimizing the risk of rodents, insects, and molds. Large companies have advantages in advanced milling technology and a diversified product line. Small operations can compete effectively by specializing in organic, non-genetically modified, or heirloom grains. The industry is capital-intensive: average annual revenue per employee is about $800,000.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Major products include flour (75 percent of the market); rice (20 percent); and malt manufacturing (5 percent). Other products include corn and wheat.

Any grain can be ground into flour, but wheat is the most common milled grain. About three-quarters of all US grain products are made from wheat flour. Each year, mills grind around 750 million bushels of wheat.

Wheat is typically seeded in spring or fall and harvested in late summer. Trucks transfer harvested wheat from a farm ...