Other Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers
Description
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in the merchant wholesale distribution of farm products (except grain and field beans, livestock, raw milk, live poultry, and fresh fruits and vegetables). Illustrative Examples: Chicks, live, merchant wholesalers Hemp merchant wholesalers Mules merchant wholesalers Hides merchant wholesalers Raw cotton merchant wholesalers Horses merchant wholesalers Nuts, unprocessed or shelled only, merchant wholesalers Raw pelts merchant wholesalers Leaf tobacco merchant wholesalers Sod merchant wholesalers
Hierarchy
| Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 42 | Wholesale Trade 2-digit sector | The Sector as a Whole The Wholesale Trade sector comprises establishments engaged in wholesaling merchandise, generally without transformation, and rendering services incidental to the sale of merchandise. The merchandise described in this sector includes the outputs of agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and certain information industries, such as publishing. The wholesaling process is an intermediate step in the distribution of merchandise. Wholesalers are organized to sell or arrange the purchase or sale of (a) goods for resale (i.e., goods sold to other wholesalers or retailers), (b) capital or durable nonconsumer goods, and (c) raw and intermediate materials and supplies used in production. Wholesalers sell merchandise to other businesses and normally operate from a warehouse or office. These warehouses and offices are characterized by having little or no display of merchandise. In addition, neither the design nor the location of the premises is intended to solicit walk-in traffic. Wholesalers do not normally use advertising directed to the general public. Customers are generally reached initially via telephone, in-person marketing, or by specialized advertising that may include Internet and other electronic means. Follow-up orders are either vendor-initiated or client-initiated, generally based on previous sales, and typically exhibit strong ties between sellers and buyers. In fact, transactions are often conducted between wholesalers and clients that have long-standing business relationships. This sector comprises two main types of wholesalers: merchant wholesalers that sell goods on their own account and agents and brokers that arrange sales and purchases for others generally for a commission or fee. (1) Establishments that sell goods on their own account are known as wholesale merchants, distributors, jobbers, drop shippers, and import/export merchants. Also included as wholesale merchants are sales offices and sales branches (but not retail stores) maintained by manufacturing, refining, or mining enterprises apart from their plants or mines for the purpose of marketing their products, and group purchasing organizations primarily purchasing and selling goods on their own account. Merchant wholesale establishments typically maintain their own warehouse, where they receive and handle goods for their customers. Goods are generally sold without transformation, but may include integral functions, such as sorting, packaging, labeling, and other marketing services. (2) Establishments arranging for the purchase or sale of goods owned by others or purchasing goods, generally on a commission basis are known as business-to-business electronic markets, agents and brokers, commission merchants, import/export agents and brokers, auction companies, group purchasing organizations (acting as agents), and manufacturers' representatives. These establishments operate from offices and generally do not own or handle the goods they sell. Some wholesale establishments may be connected with a single manufacturer and promote and sell the particular manufacturer's products to a wide range of other wholesalers or retailers. Other wholesalers may be connected to a retail chain, or limited number of retail chains, and only provide a variety of products needed by that particular retail operation(s). These wholesalers may obtain the products from a wide range of manufacturers. Still other wholesalers may not take title to the goods, but act as agents and brokers for a commission. Although, in general, wholesaling normally denotes sales in large volumes, durable nonconsumer goods may be sold in single units. Sales of capital or durable nonconsumer goods used in the production of goods and services, such as farm machinery, medium- and heavy-duty trucks, and industrial machinery, are always included in wholesale trade. |
| 424 | Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods 3-digit subsector | Industries in the Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods subsector sell nondurable goods to other businesses. Nondurable goods are items generally with a normal life expectancy of less than three years. Nondurable goods merchant wholesale trade establishments are engaged in wholesaling products, such as paper and paper products, chemicals and chemical products, drugs, textiles and textile products, apparel, footwear, groceries, farm products, petroleum and petroleum products, alcoholic beverages, books, magazines, newspapers, flowers and nursery stock, and tobacco products. The detailed industries within the subsector are organized in the classification structure based on the products sold. Agents and brokers primarily engaged in wholesaling nondurable goods, generally on a commission or fee basis, are classified in Subsector 425, Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers. |
| 4245 | Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers 4-digit industry group | This industry group comprises establishments primarily engaged in the merchant wholesale distribution of agricultural products (except raw milk, live poultry, and fresh fruits and vegetables), such as grains, field beans, livestock, and other farm product raw materials (excluding seeds). |
| 42459 | Other Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers 5-digit NAICS industry | See industry description for 424590. |
| 424590 | Other Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers 6-digit U.S. detail | This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in the merchant wholesale distribution of farm products (except grain and field beans, livestock, raw milk, live poultry, and fresh fruits and vegetables). Illustrative Examples: Chicks, live, merchant wholesalers Hemp merchant wholesalers Mules merchant wholesalers Hides merchant wholesalers Raw cotton merchant wholesalers Horses merchant wholesalers Nuts, unprocessed or shelled only, merchant wholesalers Raw pelts merchant wholesalers Leaf tobacco merchant wholesalers Sod merchant wholesalers |
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Classification References
- 01Merchant wholesale distribution of raw milk--are classified in Industry 424430, Dairy Product (except Dried or Canned) Merchant Wholesalers;
- 02Merchant wholesale distribution of live poultry (except chicks)--are classified in Industry 424440, Poultry and Poultry Product Merchant Wholesalers;
- 03Merchant wholesale distribution of grain, dry beans, and soybeans and other inedible beans--are classified in Industry 424510, Grain and Field Bean Merchant Wholesalers;
- 04Merchant wholesale distribution of livestock (except horses and mules), such as cattle, hogs, sheep, and goats--are classified in Industry 424520, Livestock Merchant Wholesalers;
- 05Merchant wholesale distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables--are classified in Industry 424480, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers; and
- 06Merchant wholesale distribution of leaf tobacco that also engage in stemming tobacco--are classified in Industry 424940, Tobacco Product and Electronic Cigarette Merchant Wholesalers.
Index Items
Animal hair, wool, or mohair merchant wholesalers
Auction markets, tobacco, horses, mules, merchant wholesalers
Bees merchant wholesalers
Bovine semen merchant wholesalers
Bristles merchant wholesalers
Broomcorn merchant wholesalers
Cannabis merchant wholesalers
Chicks, live, merchant wholesalers
Cocoa beans merchant wholesalers
Cotton, raw, merchant wholesalers
Feathers merchant wholesalers
Fibers, vegetable, merchant wholesalers
Furs, raw, merchant wholesalers
Hemp merchant wholesalers
Hides merchant wholesalers
Hops merchant wholesalers
Horses merchant wholesalers
Leaf tobacco merchant wholesalers
Marijuana merchant wholesalers
Mohair, raw, merchant wholesalers
Mules merchant wholesalers
Nuts, unprocessed or shelled only, merchant wholesalers
Oil kernels merchant wholesalers
Oil nuts merchant wholesalers
Oilseeds merchant wholesalers
Peanuts, bulk, unprocessed, merchant wholesalers
Pelts, raw, merchant wholesalers
Raw farm products (except field beans, grains) merchant wholesalers
Semen, bovine, merchant wholesalers
Silk, raw, merchant wholesalers
Skins, raw, merchant wholesalers
Sod merchant wholesalers
Spices, raw, merchant wholesalers
Sugar, raw, merchant wholesalers
Tobacco, leaf, merchant wholesalers
Wool tops and noils merchant wholesalers
Wool, raw, merchant wholesalers
How Item Can Help
Manages the storage and tracking of diverse raw materials like fruits, vegetables, and seeds while ensuring strict cold chain compliance to prevent spoilage.
Automates inventory transfers between distribution centers to meet urgent orders from farmers or processors while optimizing stock availability.
Analyzes market demand and price fluctuations to predict optimal harvest times and guide purchasing decisions for the right raw materials.
External Resources
Census.gov NAICS Detail
Official US Census Bureau definition and scope for NAICS 424590.
American Farmland Trust
Advocates for sustainable farming and land stewardship for raw agricultural producers.
USDA Farm Bill Information
Provides official government data and policy information regarding farm products and agricultural commerce.
Wholesale Market Directory
Features coverage of wholesale food and agriculture markets, including farm-to-whole seller dynamics.
