GROWMARK and CHS enter into exploratory process to discover opportunities to best serve customers and owners

The GROWMARK and CHS Boards of Directors announced that they have jointly agreed to conduct an exploratory process over the coming months to identify opportunities for the two cooperatives to further collaborate to better serve owners, customers and the cooperative system into the future.

The two farmer-owned cooperatives have had a long-standing relationship. Teams from GROWMARK and CHS have collaborated on strategic projects in ways that benefit their farmer-owners, cooperative-owners and customers.

CHS and GROWMARK are currently collaborating to improve agriculture, invest in technology and bring new solutions to customers. In 2021, the two cooperatives formed Cooperative Ventures, a venture capital fund focused on supporting advancements in breakthrough technologies for the agriculture industry.

"Continuing our long history of adding value to our members and customers, while ensuring a strong and vibrant cooperative system for the future, is critical to the GROWMARK System," said GROWMARK CEO Mark Orr. "Our partnership with CHS in Cooperative Ventures is a great example of cooperation amongst cooperatives that benefits the shareholders of both companies."

"We believe that by working together we can better serve our farmer- and cooperative-owners. Ultimately, we aim to better meet customer demand for our owners' products around the world and increase the value of the cooperative system," said Jay Debertin, president and CEO of CHS.

While the outcome of the exploratory process is not yet known, both GROWMARK and CHS anticipate emerging with an even stronger relationship focused on improving customer outcomes and strengthening agriculture for farmer- and cooperative-owners.