Sector Picks | Agriculture — September 2026
All the numbers presented in the article are taken directly from our dashboards.
The following is a glossary examination of the broader US Industrial Agriculture sector with regard to the performance and valuation of its constituent enterprises—taken from across the S&P 400 Mid Caps and S&P 600 Small Caps in addition to the S&P 500.
It is also worth mentioning that we will not be including what is arguably the best performing company in the sector, CF Industries Holdings—as it is a one which we have covered previously in a late July article—whose discount has roughly doubled since (from 17.07% to its current 38.20% at time of writing).
Scotts Miracle-Gro
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (S&P400: SMG) stands as a leading producer and global distributor of products dedicated to lawn and garden upkeep, as well as specialized indoor and hydroponic cultivation. Their comprehensive product range for lawns includes essential items such as fertilizers, grass seeds, and application spreaders, alongside durable garden implements and outdoor cleaning agents.
They also offer robust solutions for managing lawn weeds, pests, and diseases, broader gardening and landscaping endeavors, specialized items for indoor and hydroponic growing, water-soluble and slow-release plant nutrients, a variety of potting mixes and garden soils, mulches, and decorative ground covers.
These products are all marketed under a vast portfolio of widely recognized brand names, notably Scotts, Miracle-Gro, Ortho, Turf Builder, Roundup, and AeroGarden, among many others, distributed through a broad and diverse network of home improvement retailers, mass-market stores, warehouse clubs, both large and independent hardware outlets, nurseries, specialized garden centers, and e-commerce platforms.
FMC Corporation
FMC Corporation (S&P600: FMC) functions as an agricultural science enterprise for creating, commercializing, and selling various crop protection chemicals, delivering products for crop safeguarding, plant wellness, and professional pest and turf management—distributed through its proprietary sales teams, in collaboration with alliance partners, and via independent distributors and sales representatives.
These innovations are employed in farming to boost harvest quantity and quality by mitigating diverse insect infestations, weed growth, and plant ailments. The company’s solutions also cater to non-agricultural sectors for general pest control.
Corteva
Corteva, Inc. (S&P500: CTVA) operates in the agriculture business through its two segments of Seed and Crop Protection, developing and supplying advanced germplasm and traits that produce optimum yield for farms, enhance resistance to weather, disease, insects, and herbicides used to control weeds, as well as food and nutritional characteristics. The company also provides digital solutions that assist farmer decision-making with a view to optimize product selection, and maximize both yield and profitability.
Note: the following 2 companies are valued using our Price Change methodology, where we:
Calculate the company’s 5-year average annual price growth rate.
Project the stock price 5 years into the future using this growth rate.
Projected Price = Last Close × (1 + 5Y Average Price Change)^5
Discount this projected price back to present using our discount rate:
Fair Value = Projected Price/(1 + Discount Rate)^5
This speculative methodology is typically reserved for companies with negative trailing EPS or exceptionally high growth rate metrics where our standard model is prone to producing unreliable or negative fair values.
Lindsay Corporation
Lindsay Corporation (S&P600: LNN) is an international enterprise specializing in comprehensive solutions for water management and road infrastructure.
The company’s operations encompass center pivot and lateral move irrigation systems under the Zimmatic brand, Perrot and Greenfield hose reel travelers, and the GrowSmart line of chemical injection systems, variable rate irrigation tools, flow meters, weather stations, soil moisture sensors, advanced remote monitoring and control systems, essential repair and replacement parts, along with sophisticated technological solutions including global positioning system guidance, wireless irrigation management, scheduling applications, smartphone integration.
Furthermore, they offer industrial Internet of Things (IoT) technology solutions, data acquisition and management systems, and bespoke electronic equipment for various applications, all under the Elecsys brand.
They also harbor a dedicated Infrastructure segment that deals with supplying crucial products for road safety and construction, paving, resurfacing, road widening, median and shoulder construction, tunnel and bridge repairs. Additionally, they offer outsourced manufacturing and production services to other companies.
Cal-Maine Foods
Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. (S&P600: CALM), along with its various subsidiary companies, handles the full scope of shell egg operations, from production and sorting to packaging, promotion, and delivery, as well as a selection of specialized shell eggs, such as nutritionally enhanced, free-range, organic, and brown varieties.
These premium products are marketed under prominent brand names like Egg-Land’s Best, Land O’ Lakes, Farmhouse Eggs, and 4-Grain, in addition to supplies for private labels. Its diverse clientele includes major national and regional supermarket chains, warehouse clubs, independent grocers, foodservice providers, and individual consumers of egg products.
