Vending

Land O’Lakes reports strong Q2 2021, HY results

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August 9, 2021

Land O' Lakes Inc., a farmer-owned coop serving the foodservice and retail sectors, reported $4 billion, a 14% gain over last year's second quarter sales, for the quarter ending June 30, 2021, driven by strength in crop inputs and animal nutrition and higher pricing across the portfolio that offset rising input and supply chain costs, according to a press release.

Net earnings rose 22% to $100 million over last year's comparative quarter.

Net sales accelerated in the second quarter as farmers invested in their crops and animals. The company continued to leverage its differentiated brands and reported stronger performance across all business units on a year-to-date basis.

Earnings for the quarter were driven by strong performance in crop inputs with higher volumes and favorable product mix in crop protection and improved margins in crop nutrients.

Dairy foods earnings were below the elevated levels experienced in the second quarter of 2020, as consumers increased retail purchases at the start of the pandemic, but overall performance in retail dairy remained solid.

Dairy also benefited from strong performance in foodservice as restaurants and other institutions continued to reopen across the country.

Animal nutrition earnings were lower for the quarter due to higher input costs, which offset higher formula feed volumes and a favorable mix shift toward the lifestyle segment.

The company reported year-to-date net sales for the first six months totaling $8 billion with net earnings of $236 million, a year-over-year increase of 9% in net sales and 99% in net earnings.

During the same period of last year, the company reported net sales of $7.3 billion and net earnings of $118 million.

"Despite increasing costs, the fundamentals of our industry remain favorable and our differentiated approach has delivered sustained performance in all business segments through the first half of the year," Beth Ford, president and CEO, said in the release. "We also recognize third quarter could be our toughest year-over-year comparison in our historically smallest quarter, as during 2020, COVID-19 drove above normal retail purchasing. I'm proud of the team that continues to lead strong performance, both in sales and in voice, as we advocate for and deliver for our member owners."