Brandt, Springfield, Ill., reported on Aug. 3 that it has acquired a retail agronomy company, Morton Fertilizer, with full-service locations in Wyanet, Ill. and Grand Mound, Iowa. Morton Fertilizer, which encompasses D&B Morton Fertilizer Service Inc. of Bureau County, Ill., and Du-Mor Crop Care Inc. of Clinton County, Iowa, will immediately become part of the Brandt organization.
Brandt said the deal will strengthen its position in Central Illinois, while providing its first outlet in Iowa. The company will now have 27 total outlets, with 26 in Illinois. The company says it serves more than one million acres of production farmland, offering a broad range of services, including plant nutrients, crop protection products, precision ag, seeds, and custom application.
“We welcome Morton Fertilizer to the Brandt family,” said Rick Brandt, Brandt President and CEO. “Gary Morton and his team at Morton Fertilizer share our values, putting agronomic service and trusted advice first. A family business, they were even founded the same year as Brandt: 1953.”
Morton Fertilizer will be integrated into the Brandt Agronomic Services operating company under the leadership of Chief Operating Officer & Executive Vice President Tim McArdle and Vice President John Allen.
Gary Morton, owner of Morton Fertilizer, and his seven full-time employees will become members of Team Brandt immediately. Morton will remain with Brandt as Manager of the Brandt Wyanet location, providing operations management and key account leadership. Mark Jacobs, the current Manager at the Grand Mound, Iowa, location, will continue in that role with Brandt.
Morton Fertilizer was founded in 1953 by Gary’s father Don. He purchased the Iowa location in 1977, beginning operation in the fall of 1977.
“We have been working on this transaction for more than five years,” said McArdle. “It took patience, tenacity, and vision to get it done. I want to thank Gary for sticking with us and recognizing that together we can provide world-class services and trusted advice to his legacy customers. That’s what he built his business on, and we are committed to carrying that forward.”