Can You Invest in Cargill Pre-IPO? Everything You Need to Know

By Matthew DiLallo – Updated Dec 11, 2025 at 10:54 AM EST | Fact-checked by Parker Hicks

Key Points

Cargill, a leading agricultural firm, remains privately owned with no current plans for an IPO.
Investors can indirectly invest in Cargill by buying shares of companies like Mosaic, Bunge, or ADM.
Public alternatives to Cargill include ETFs like VanEck Vectors Agribusiness and iShares Msci Global Agriculture.
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Cargill is a giant in the agricultural industry. It generates roughly $154 billion in annual revenue by providing food, ingredients, agricultural solutions, and industrial products to farmers and other customers. According to Forbes, Cargill's sales total made it the biggest privately held company in the country in 2024.

A farmer standing in a field and holding a tablet. — Image source: Getty Images.

The agricultural giant has a long and rich history. William Cargill founded the company in 1865, and it has remained in the hands of his descendants. While there has been some internal pressure to complete an initial public offering (IPO) over the years, Cargill has found ways to remain private.

IPO

IPO (Initial Public Offering) is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public, making it a publicly traded entity.

It seems unlikely that Cargill will go public anytime soon. However, investors interested in the agricultural giant have some alternative options to consider. Here's a look at everything you need to know about investing in Cargill, should it go public, and how to invest in stocks that are capitalizing on the trends that have enabled it to grow into the country's largest private company.

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Alternatives to Cargill stock

Unless you're an eligible employee, you can't buy Cargill stock. However, there are many ways to invest in the agricultural sector to capitalize on the same factors driving Cargill's growth. Three notable Cargill alternatives are:

The Mosaic Company

The Mosaic Company was formed in 2004 through the merger of fertilizer company IMC Global and Cargill's crop nutrition business. Cargill spun off its interest in The Mosaic company to shareholders in 2011.

So, while an investment in The Mosaic Company doesn't provide investors with direct exposure to Cargill, it does give them an interest in one of its legacy businesses. Today, Mosaic is a leader in potash and phosphate mining, which are nutrients crucial to helping feed crops and increase their yields.

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If Cargill goes public, investors will follow a similar process to buy its IPO stock. If shares become available after an IPO, you would fill out the order page at your brokerage account with Cargill's selected stock ticker and submit your trade.

Should I invest in Cargill?

You can't invest in the private, family-owned company unless you are an eligible Cargill employee. Given its long history as a private company and its ability to avoid the pressure of going public, non-employees might never get the chance to invest in Cargill.

However, the general investing public does have alternatives to investing in Cargill. They can buy shares of publicly traded rivals, like Archer-Daniels-Midland or Bunge, or consider investing in a company built on Cargill's legacy in Mosaic. Those agricultural stocks can all benefit from the same trends driving Cargill's growth.

ETFs with exposure to Cargill

Many investors would prefer to invest passively instead of actively managing a portfolio of stocks. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are an easy way to be a passive investor.

Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF)

An exchange-traded fund, or ETF, allows investors to buy many stocks or bonds at once.

Since Cargill is a private company, you can't gain exposure to its stock through an ETF. However, you can buy an ETF focused on agricultural stocks. Two of the largest agribusiness ETFs are:

VanEck Vectors Agribusiness ETF (MOO +0.08%): This ETF aims to track the agribusiness sector's performance, including companies involved in agri-chemicals, animal health, and fertilizers, and trading agricultural products. It held shares of 48 companies in late 2025, including Archer-Daniels-Midland (5% of its holdings) and Bunge Global (3%) within its top 10. The fund had a 0.55% net ETF expense ratio.
iShares Msci Global Agriculture Producers ETF (VEGI +0.07%): The fund provides exposure to companies producing fertilizer and agricultural chemicals, industrial products like farm machinery, and packaged foods and meats. It held shares of 125 companies in 2025, including Archer-Daniels-Midland (at 5.95% of its assets), Bunge Global (at 2.3% of its assets), and Mosaic (at 2.21% of its holdings). The ETF had a 0.39% expense ratio.

The bottom line on Cargill

Cargill is a behemoth in the agricultural sector. It currently tops the list as the largest privately held company in the country by revenue. It likely won't make the shift to the public markets anytime soon. Although that means the investing public can't buy Cargill shares, there are many other ways to invest in the agricultural sector.

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About the Author

Matt DiLallo has been a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst specializing in covering dividend-paying companies, particularly in the energy and REIT sectors, since 2012. He also covers pre-IPO companies, ETFs, and other investing topics. He holds an MBA from Liberty University.

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Matt DiLallo has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.