Aug 6, 2020

Brandt buys retail agronomy company Morton Fertilizer

Brandt, a retailer of professional agronomic services and manufacturer of specialty input products, recently acquired a retail agronomy company, Morton Fertilizer, with full-service locations in Wyanet, Illinois and Grand Mound, Iowa, according to a news release from the company.

Morton Fertilizer, which encompasses D&B Morton Fertilizer Service of Bureau County and Du-Mor Crop Care,Inc. of Clinton County, Iowa, will immediately become part of the Brandt organization, strengthening the company’s commitment to Central Illinois while providing Brandt’s first outlet in Iowa, according to the release.

“Gary Morton and his team at Morton Fertilizer share our values, putting agronomic service and trusted advice first,” Rick Brandt, CEO & President of Brandt said in the release. “A family business, they were even founded the same year as Brandt: 1953.”

Glen Brandt and his sister Evelyn Brandt Thomas started the company to help Illinois farmers adopt new and profitable technologies. Brandt now 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.

Morton Fertilizer was founded in 1953 by Don Morton. He purchased the Iowa location in 1977, beginning operation in the fall of 1977.

The purchase is Brandt’s first retail effort Iowa, Brandt said. The combined company has 27 retail locations throughout central Illinois and one location in Iowa.

The transaction has been five years in the making, according to the news release.

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, according to the news release. Morton will remain with BRANDT as manager of the Brandt Wyanet location, providing operations management and key account leadership. Mark Jacobs, the current manager of Grand Mound, Iowa, will continue on as the Brandt Grand Mound plant manager.