The livestock industry was the mainstay for Feeders Supply
Co. throughout the 1960s, but in the 1970s the buying and selling
of livestock in Louisville was declining. Feeders found new sources
of business in the 1970s and 1980s by adding feed and supplies
for horses and contracting with area race tracks. As the livestock
feed business continued to fade, Feeders began selling pet food,
pet supplies, and eventually live animals.
Today, Feeders Supply stocks food for not only cats and
dogs, but a number of smaller animals, including birds, fish,
hamsters, rabbits, and guinea pigs. The company also sells pet
accessories, toys, and supplies. Feeders still sells horse and
cattle feed and bedding, and in fact still maintains its longtime
role as the supplier of feed and bedding to the Louisville Zoological
Garden and the events at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center
including the State Fair, the North American Livestock Show, and
the Arabian Horse Show.
As a result of Feeders success and explosive growth, the
company has received numerous awards including the 1994 Agribusiness
of the Year, an award based on criteria such as economic impact,
growth and financial stability, community involvement, employee
relations, and contributions to the agribusiness community. Feeders
also sponsors the annual event "Picture Your Pets with Santa"
which benefits the Kentucky Humane Society.
Feeders Supply has expanded from the first store on Baxter
Ave. to twelve retail locations: ten in Kentucky including Louisville,
Shepherdsville and Elizabethtown and two in southern Indiana.
The company is still locally-owned and family operated. Corporate
offices and distribution warehouses are located in downtown Louisville.
