About Us

Welcome to Umbarger Show Feeds.  Umbarger Show Feeds is a fourth generation family owned and operated business located in central Indiana, and has been in business for over 76 years.  Umbarger Show Feeds has been specially formulated by Showmen for Showmen.  We understand the importance of nutrition and winning results.  Our expertise in Steam Flaked grains and our dedication to the show ring sets us apart from the competition.  Umbarger Show feeds focuses on providing the highest quality products along with the service you desire.  Please take a look at some of the thousands of winners that have already joined us on “The Road to the Winners Circle”.  We have an extensive dealer network covering thirteen states; find your nearest dealer with our dealer locator.  No matter what species of livestock you are exhibiting, Umbarger Show Feeds should be your only choice for winning results.

In the summer of 1939, Roy L. Umbarger, then a feed salesman for a major feed company specializing in poultry health and nutrition, moved his wife, Cecile, and young son, Walter, to the small rural town of Bargersville, Indiana. It is there where he began his own feed business, something he had always dreamed, he named it Roy Umbarger & Son. The main focus was providing custom grinding services and selling related products to the local livestock producers. In June of 1947, at the young age of 47, Roy passed away suddenly. His son Walter, age 26, had just returned from serving in the Navy during World War II. Walter soon realized the young business of Roy Umbarger & Son faced many challenges in order to survive. He, along with his wife Jackie and young son Marty, moved in with his mother, Cecile, and began to work at building the business. After a few struggling months, Walter determined it would be best for the family to keep the business going long enough to pay off the debts and to seek employment in a factory in Indianapolis. Over the next few years, Walter and Jackie built a very successful business, working many long hours. The factory job by now was long forgotten. Following are some of the key highlights of the company’s development and growth.

  • 1950

    Added grain storage and began buying grain from local farmers.

     

  • 1956

    Became a fertilizer dealer. Roy Umbarger & Son was the first business in Johnson County, Indiana to sell and custom apply liquid nitrogen.

     

  • 1959

    Added farm chemicals to the business.

     

  • 1960

    Purchased a grain dryer and began custom drying for local farmers.

     

  • 1964

    Added a new retail store and office building.

     

  • 1969

    Youngest son, Tom, graduated from high school and joined the family business. Son, Marty, graduated from college.

     

  • 1970

    Built a starter pullet confinement facility for 35,000 bird capacity.

     

  • 1971

    Son, Marty, joined the family business.

     

  • 1973

    Roy Umbarger & Son was incorporated and renamed Roy Umbarger & Sons, Inc.

     

  • 1976

    The business purchased a 725 acre grain farm and named it Umbarger Farms.

     

  • 1985

    Walter and Jackie Umbarger retire and sons, Marty and Tom assume control of Roy Umbarger & Sons, Inc.
    In the later part of 1980, agriculture across the midwest had a sharp downturn. It was a general agricultural depression which resulted in many families losing the family farm and many livestock farmers selling their herds to create cash flow. Adding to this downturn was the close proximity of Roy Umbarger & Sons, Inc. to Indianapolis. Many livestock farmers liquidated their herds and began to sell some of their farmland for residential and industrial uses. All of this made for a tremendous decrease in the feed business of the company forcing the company to assess its future as a viable agricultural business.
    After months of research and thought, Marty Umbarger, now president of Roy Umbarger & Sons, Inc., decided to tear down the old, obsolete feed mill and rebuild a new feed mill with the ability to make high quality textured feeds. The focus of the textured feed would be toward the equine, dairy, show cattle, lamb, goat and swine markets. A line of specialty feeds—UMBARGER SHOW FEEDS—was introduced with high quality products in mind. The centerpiece of this new product line would be STEAM FLAKED GRAINS. During his search for the best quality rations—STEAM FLAKED GRAINS stood out as the best of the best.

     

  • 1989

    Old feed mill was remodeled and a steam flaking process was added.

     

  • 1991

    Purchased the feed mill and grain facilities of a long-time competitor in the Bargersville area.

     

  • 1993

    Rowana Umbarger, wife of Marty Umbarger, left an Indianapolis law firm and joined the company.  She took over as head of business and accounting for Roy Umbarger and Sons, Inc.

     

  • 1994

    After tremendous growth, the company expanded the textured feed business to include a wholesale division and created a dealer network. 1997 Became a storage point for National Starch & Chemical Company, Inc. of Indianapolis, Indiana, for a high starch specialty corn known as amylose. Also increased grain storage capacity to 750,000 bushel.

     

  • 1998

    Built a new feed warehouse and began remodeling and automating the textured feed line to handle increase in textured feed demand.

     

  • 2004

    Marty Umbarger, co-owner, is appointed by the governor of Indiana to the position of Adjutant General of the Indiana National Guard

     

  • 2004

    Jackson Umbarger, Marty’s son, becomes the head of the company’s fertilizer, chemical, and seed department

     

  • 2008

    Tom Umbarger, co-owner, semi retires from the company and sells his interest in the company to Jackson Umbarger.  Marty Umbarger and Jackson Umbarger assume co-ownership of the company with Marty remaining as the President and Jackson becoming Secretary and Treasurer of Roy Umbarger and Sons, Inc. Jackson’s role includes remaining as head of the fertilizer, chemical, and seed department, as well as assuming head of the feed division, and over-seeing day to day operations of the entire company.

     

  • 2009

    Roy Umbarger and Sons, Inc. equals the fertilizer, chemical, and seed department with feed division by doubling the size of the anhydrous ammonia storage facility, building a new dry fertilizer storage building, and beginning the move of this division of the company out of the town of Bargersville to a location outside of city limits.
    Roy Umbarger & Sons, Inc. has grown over the past 70 years to become a business with $20 million in annual sales and employing 24 full time employees. The company markets a full line of textured show feeds known as UMBARGER SHOW FEEDS in 17 states with a dealer network with over 150 dealer outlets. It continues to have a grain department, fertilizer and farm chemical department and provides many custom services to the local agricultural community.
    The dream Roy L. Umbarger had of a viable feed and agricultural business has become a reality. We, at Roy Umbarger & Sons, Inc., are dedicated to maintaining the position of UMBARGER SHOW FEEDS as the leader in the show feed arena. We are proud of the fact that we have fed thousands of national, regional, state and local champions.
    Give us a call at 317-422-5195 or click on “Find a Dealer” to locate the UMBARGER SHOW FEEDS dealer nearest you. Let us direct you as you travel “THE ROAD TO THE WINNER’S CIRCLE.” At UMBARGER SHOW FEEDS—”We Feed Champions.”