Kemin Industries has become one of the largest growers of oregano in the United States, but it’s not going into the pizza business or trying to compete with Tone’s. The Des Moines-based bioscience company has found that an essential oil derived from oregano provides an alternative to antibiotics as an animal feed additive, CEO Chris Nelson said when I met with him for a recent interview. Kemin will have nearly 800 acres of oregano planted in Texas by the end of this year, with plans to double that acreage by the end of 2017. The company’s Specialty Crop Improvement team developed a special variety of oregano that has the optimal ratio of antimicrobial qualities that improve the intestinal health of livestock. It can also be used as an alternative to some growth promoters to improve the growth performance of farm animals. The new product is one of Kemin’s responses to increasing consumer demand for meat grown with less antibiotics, Nelson said. Kemin has long been the largest grower of marigolds, from which it extracts lutein, which is used for eye health. Other specialty crops grown by Kemin include rosemary, which has antioxidant properties.