Feed and commodities giant Cargill, the largest private company in the United States and the world's second-larges aquaculture feed producer, announced Monday it made a major acquisition in the poultry processing sector, hot on the heels of announcing record-high annual earnings.

Cargill recorded earnings of $4.93 billion (€4.2 billion) for the year, a 64 percent rise over the previous 12 months and almost $1 billion (€851 million) above its previous best in 2008 when Chinese demand drove a commodity super cycle.