Animal Health

The Emporia region is in the Animal Health Corridor, where over half of the worldwide animal health diagnostics and pet food is made. In the Emporia region, businesses have access to multiple interstates, raw materials, manufacturing talent, and shovel-ready sites. Local companies include Simmons Pet Food, Cargill, and Hill’s Pet Nutrition.

Emporia is a proud member of the KC Animal Health Corridor.

Emporia is located on the southwest edge of the Animal Health Corridor, which is an area centered around the Kansas City Metropolitan area east to Columbia, Missouri, west to Manhattan, Kansas. The north boundary is St. Joseph, Missouri, and Emporia, Kansas is the southern boundary. KC Animal Health Corridor That Works video conveys the regional comparative advantages.

Emporia is the self-declared Pet Nutrition Capital of the world. Cargill Animal Nutrition, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, and Simmons Pet Food are located in Emporia. Emporia produces more pet nutrition meals, both wet, and dry, per capita, than anywhere in the world.

In 1994 Emporia had one pet nutrition company with 41 employees, in the near future with continued organic growth, and expansions, the three pet nutrition companies will employ over 1,000 workers in Emporia.

This successful growth, and recruitment of new pet food companies – Simmons Pet Food, Cargill Animal Nutrition, and Hill’s Pet Nutrition can be attributed to being located in the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor, and the workforce, proximity to agriculture products, and having Flint Hills Technical College, and Emporia State University located in our community.

According to the Animal Health Corridor Asset survey, the KC Animal Health Corridor represented 56% of the total worldwide animal health, diagnostics, and pet nutrition sales.