Cargill: Going Global
Some may find it curious that two of the five largest private companies in the U.S. both deal in grain and agricultural commodities. Of the two--Cargill, Inc., and Continental Grain--Cargill is by far the largest, and with $56 billion in revenue, it stands at the top of the list of privately held companies. Broehl has already providedCargill: Trading the World's Grain(1992) and wrote a history of the John Deere Co. in 1984. With the same scholarly treatment, he takes up here where he left off with his earlier Cargill history. Broehl covers the years beginning with 1960, when the company was headed for the first time by someone other than a Cargill family member. Erwin Kelm ran Cargill for 17 years, and Broehl details his tenure. During this period, a new management team was installed, and the company celebrated its centennial, increased trade worldwide, and came under government scrutiny. This book will not only benefit business history and agricultural collections but also be of interest to commodity traders and speculators.David Rouse