Soybean Oil (Biodiesel Feedstock)

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (Chicago IL; NYSE: ADM; ~$85B revenue FY2023; founded 1902) is the world's largest agricultural commodity processor and a major corn merchandiser supplying livestock feed. ADM's AG Services and Oilseeds segment operates 270+ facilities including corn origination elevators throughout Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, and Minnesota. ADM's Animal Nutrition segment produces lysine, threonine, and other amino acid feed additives used in swine feed premixes globally. ADM's corn wet milling operations (Decatur IL flagship plant; Cedar Rapids IA) produce corn starch, corn syrup, corn oil, ethanol, and DDGS (distillers dried grains with solubles) — DDGS is sold as a protein-energy supplement in swine diets at inclusion rates of 10-20%. ADM is simultaneously the largest US corn merchandiser, a producer of DDGS feed ingredients, and a supplier of amino acid additives that enable lower-protein corn-soy diets in hog production. ADM faced a significant accounting investigation in 2023-2024: the company disclosed that its Nutrition segment had misreported results; CEO Juan Luciano resigned in January 2024 amid DOJ/SEC inquiry, creating management uncertainty during a period of corn market volatility.

Bunge Global SA (Chesterfield MO; NYSE: BG; ~$59B revenue FY2023; founded 1818 in Amsterdam) is the world's second-largest soybean crusher by global capacity. Bunge operates extensive soybean crushing in the US (Cairo IL, Decatur IN, Danville IL, Council Bluffs IA, Emporia KS, Morristown IN, Norfolk NE, Stony Point NY), Brazil (Rondonopolis MT, Passo Fundo RS, Cachoeira RS, Porto Uniao SC, Gaspar SC), and Argentina (San Lorenzo, Santa Fe). Bunge's Argentine operations at San Lorenzo are part of the Rosario crush complex — the largest soybean processing cluster in the world. Bunge's global agribusiness segment is the core of the company and soybean crushing is the central activity. Bunge and Glencore announced a merger agreement in 2023 that is pending regulatory approval; if completed, the merged entity would be the world's largest agricultural commodity trading and processing company. US soybean crush: Bunge holds an estimated 20-24% of US crush capacity. Bunge's South American operations process Brazilian and Argentine soybeans that primarily supply Asian (especially Chinese) soybean meal markets.

Largest privately held company in the US by revenue (~$160B in FY2024). Cargill Protein – North America processes beef and pork with major plants at Dodge City KS (one of the world's largest beef plants), Schuyler NE (4,800 cattle/day, 2.7M lbs/day), Wichita KS (beef). ~22% of US beef packing (mid-2000s estimate; current share may be slightly lower). Also a major agricultural commodity trader, animal feed maker, and food ingredient supplier. Cargill's private structure means no public financial disclosure — making supply chain risk assessment harder. The Cargill family holds the majority of shares, making it the wealthiest private US company.

Louis Dreyfus Company B.V. (Rotterdam Netherlands; private; founded 1851 by Léopold Louis-Dreyfus in Alsace; ~$53B revenue FY2024; majority owned by Margarita Louis-Dreyfus) is one of the four ABCD global grain trading firms and a major soybean originator, trader, and processor. Louis Dreyfus's soybean operations are concentrated in Brazil (Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul origination; Paranaguá and Santos export terminals) and Argentina (Rosario/Paraná River corridor — Quebracho terminal). Louis Dreyfus was among the first Western commodity traders to establish a major Brazil origination presence in the 1990s, financing grain storage infrastructure for Brazilian soybean farmers in exchange for first-right-of-purchase contracts. In 2023, LDC expanded its Brazilian soybean book as Argentina's drought displaced Argentine supply. LDC also operates significant soybean meal export from Querétaro, Mexico and trades soybeans across Southeast Asian destinations. Louis Dreyfus remains one of the few major commodity traders still wholly family-controlled after 170+ years.

Finnish energy company; produces high-quality Group II and Group III base oils (Neste Base Oils brand) from North Sea crude at Porvoo refinery, Finland. Best known globally for renewable diesel and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Neste base oils are produced as part of the Porvoo refinery complex. Helsinki Stock Exchange listed.